The Weapon
by hpenchantress
Summary: The story takes place about two years after Edward and Bella's wedding. When the Volturi find a human who has powers strong enough to eliminate even the Cullens, how far will the vegetarian vampire family go to save the vampire universe? COMPLETE!
1. Vision

It was just another ordinary night. Edward and Bella had been packing for Dartmouth; a couple of suitcases were on the floor next to the closet.

Alice had promised to come over and help Bella pack, but she hadn't arrived. Bella thanked the heavens for whatever force that had stopped Alice from coming; she just couldn't deal with her right now. It was the first time she was leaving Renesmee, and she was worried sick.

Edward, equally silent, worried slightly less than Bella. He trusted that Carlisle, Esme, and the pack would be able to take good care of her.

"Don't worry, Bella," he kept saying, "she's going to be fine."

Bella, however, didn't listen, nor did her eyes stop darting to her only daughter's room.

"Bella," Edward murmured, "you know that Jacob would die before anything happens to her, don't you?"

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Then stop worrying, our daughter has got a whole pack of wolves looking after her, and two vampires. I think they can manage watching over one girl, Bella."

"That's not what worries me," Bella whispered.

"Then what is it?"

"Well, there's the Volturi…"

Edward involuntarily hissed when he heard that name. Not too long ago, the ancient vampire clan had arrived to destroy his family. Only by sheer luck had they managed to prevent a full-scale war from breaking out.

Bella continued, ignoring her husband's reaction, "and I'm worried about HER, about her missing us too much, about her learning…"

Edward put his finger on Bella's lips, silencing her. "You don't have to worry about her learning and being smart, you know that. Bella, our daughter has an incredible mind. She's only a couple of years old, but she's got the mind of an adult. Besides, Carlisle and Esme will teach her well."

"I know, I know," Bella grumbled, "I guess that it's just mother's worry."

Edward slowly turned his wife around to face him, and held her beautiful face in his hands. "Don't worry," he whispered, and leaned down to kiss her.

Just when their lips were about to touch, Edward looked up, and his eyes glazed over.

"Edward?" Bella asked worriedly, "what is it?"

Edward just turned to look out the window, his gaze still glazed over. Suddenly, he ran to the window and jumped out, running out into the woods. Bella, startled, started to follow him when she heard a small sound from Renesmee's room. Her daughter's face peeked out from the darkened bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Renesmee asked.

"I'm not sure," Bella said.

They didn't have time to say much more. Edward jumped back inside through the window, Alice, Carlisle and Jasper close behind him.

"What happened?" Bella asked.

"Alice had a vision," Carlisle explained.

"What did you see?"

Alice looked at Edward, he nodded.

"The Volturi," she said.

Bella instinctively motioned her daughter over and took her into her arms, holding her close. "What were they doing?"

"They found someone like Eleazar, someone to sense talents out."

"What does that mean?"

"That vampire found a very talented person, a person so talented he could sense him from miles away."

"What does that have anything to do with us?"

"The Volturi think this person is powerful enough to take us all out, even you Bella."

Edward and Bella looked at each other. Bella, unbelieving, Edward, fearful.

"But, that's impossible! You know as well as I do that I can block people out."

"Unless their power is physical," Edward said, "with mental powers, you can stop anyone."

"Well, I don't know about all that," Alice continued, "the point is we cannot let the Volturi take this guy and turn him into one of them. Can you imagine how powerful he must be? Can you imagine how powerful the Volturi could be with him?"

Carlisle looked uncomfortable, "But what can we do, Alice? It's not like we can kill this man just because of the possibility that the Volturi will take him."

"No," Jasper said slowly, "but we can get to him before they do."

Carlisle looked at Jasper meaningfully, "You know we do not turn people to our side without their asking for it. We don't use people that way; we won't take an innocent man's life away."

"We wouldn't do that," Jasper argued, "we would just keep him from the Volturi long enough to save ourselves."

"That could work," Edward said musingly.

Bella, aghast, said "We're going to kidnap him?"

"That's our only option now," Jasper answered, then turned to Alice. "Do you know where he is? What does he look like?"

"No," Alice answered, "I saw the vampire at the airport. He was talking into his phone, saying that he'd just encountered a person so powerful he could even take us out. But he didn't say where the person was, he might have boarded a plane for all we know. The vampire is flying to the Volturi now, so they know what to look for."

"How far away from Italy was he?"

"Not far, I'm sure of that. He said he'd be there in a few hours, so he had to be close by."

"Well," Carlisle said, "we won't know anything more for a while, so I suggest we return to whatever we were doing, and I shall call Eleazar. Maybe I can find out just what sort of power this person has, to be able to take on the strongest vampires."

"Then we can't leave now!" Bella protested, "You need us here," she turned to Edward desperately, "we have to stay, at least until it's safe. Then we can go to Dartmouth."

Edward leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, "I agree," he said. When Carlisle turned to protest, Edward continued, "It's too dangerous for you to be here without Bella, she's our greatest weapon. With the Volturi around, we better stay safe."

"Well, whatever happens, it will happen in a few hours," Alice said. "Now, I think we should all go back home, and wait."

--------------

A short while later, the whole Cullen family was in the family house's living room. Bella was sitting on the couch, Renesmee leaning on her shoulder. Edward was standing behind them, as still as a marble statue. Alice was seated on the floor, her eyes glazed, searching for another vision; a pen and notebook in her lap. Rosalie sat on Emmett's lap, whispering to him. Carlisle, Jasper, and Esme were talking in the corner.

Suddenly, Alice sat up and gripped the pen in her hand. Her eyes stared at nothing as her hand quickly drew on the paper. The rest of the family had stiffened at Alice's movement, and were now watching her closely. Edward closed his eyes, and listened to whatever Alice was seeing.

"Alice made a mistake," he said, "this person, it's not a man; it's a girl. She was traveling with her parents and younger sister in England. She's young," Edward stopped as Alice blinked and finished her drawing.

"This is her," she said, showing everyone the picture she's just finished drawing. The face on it was a young woman's; with rather plump cheeks and big eyes. She had long hair and a small mole on her chin. "Oh, and she's got brown hair and eyes, you can't see 'cause the drawing's done in blue pen. And her skin's darker, tanned."

"Did you see where she was?" Jasper asked eagerly.

"Yes," Alice answered slowly, "and it's going to be tough to get there."

"Why?" Jasper asked, "Is it Italy?"

"No," Edward said, "it's in Mexico. And right now, Mexico is in the middle of the summer, the sun is very strong there."

"I've been in Mexico before, I know how strong the sun is," Jasper said, testily.

"But she not only lives in Mexico, she lives a bit to the south of the capital. She lives in a city nicknamed 'The City of Eternal Spring', Cuernavaca. It's going to be tough getting there without the sun revealing us for what we are."

"We still have to get there quickly," Jasper continued, "I suggest we get on a plane and get to the city during the night. We'll find her, and then take her some other night. Piece of cake."

"Not exactly," Bella interrupted, "the Volturi are after her too, remember?"

"But we have the advantage, it'll take a lot longer for them to assemble, and then to fly to Mexico. We live much closer; we can get there in a few hours."

"You're right about that," Edward said, "we should leave now, as soon as possible."

"But wait!" Esme cried, "We can't all go!"

Carlisle looked around the room. "Alice, you go, your visions might come in handy. Bella, you too. Jasper, you know the place better than anyone."

Edward and Emmett opened their mouths to protest, but Carlisle calmly continued. "Edward, I know that you don't want to be away from Bella, but we need you here in case the Volturi decide to surprise us here. Emmett, you're the strongest, we need to keep you here for the same reason as Edward."

Edward looked unhappily at Bella, who smiled slightly at him. "Now it's your turn to worry," she said. "Take care of Renesmee. I love you."

And with that, Jasper, Alice and Bella ran from the room. Outside, a car screeched onto the road and drove away.

Edward sat heavily on the couch, on the spot his wife had just vacated. Carlisle went to sit next to him. "They'll be ok," he promised. Edward just stared out the window, as if he could still see Bella speeding away.


	2. Travel

Jasper was driving at three times the legal speed. Alice had leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes, searching for another vision. Bella, quietly searched through the contents of the emergency bag the family had created, for times such as this. She moved a few bags with about 10,000 dollars in them, and found what she was looking for.

"How long are you guys good for?" she asked.

Alice slowly opened one eye and looked at Bella, "What?"

"How long before you have to go hunting again?" Bella asked exasperatedly.

"I still have about a week," Jasper said calmly.

"Same," Alice murmured, and closed her eyes again.

Bella continued sorting through the bag as Jasper parked the car in the airport's parking lot.

"Let's go," he said, and got out of the car.

Bella quickly threw everything back in the bag, except for the passports she'd found. She and Alice left the car and followed Jasper into the nearly empty airport.

"Three tickets for a flight to Cuernavaca, Mexico. We need to leave as soon as possible," he said, turning on his vampire charm full-force.

The woman at the ticket counter blinked, dazed. "No flights to Cuernavaca," she said dreamily, "but I can get you a flight to Mexico City, leaving in about ten minutes."

"That will do," Jasper replied, taking his wallet out of his pocket.

He quickly paid for the tickets, and then all three ran to the terminal. They went through security with a little help from Alice's charm, and made it to the plane just as it was about to take off.

--------------

The flight to Mexico City wasn't very long, but the clock was ticking quickly, and they had to get to the young girl as fast as possible.

Suddenly, it occurred to Bella that they didn't even know the girl's name. She asked Jasper if he knew, but he turned up a blank.

"Alice," Jasper whispered, "do you know her name?"

"What?"

"What's the girl's name?"

"Oh, her name is Sadie."

"Sadie? I thought she was Mexican."

"Hey!" Alice said somewhat angrily, "I didn't pick the name, I took it out of one of my visions, ok? So just let me concentrate and know more about her!"

Bella and Jasper turned to look at each other as Alice sank back into her visions.

--------------

When they finally reached Mexico City, day was a few hours away.

"Well," Bella said, "how are we getting to Cuernavaca?"

Jasper and Alice didn't answer, but walked over to the car rental. Within a few minutes, they were driving a van down the street.

Jasper complained under his breath, he had no patience for simple vans that didn't go fast enough for him. Bella held a map under her nose, calling out directions to the frustrated vampire who was driving the slow van. Alice sat in the back seat, making reservations at a hotel for a room.

"Why did we have to get a van?" Jasper asked Bella, "Couldn't we have gotten something a little better?"

"Whoa, there," Bella said, "don't look at me, I didn't rent this ride. Whatever, at least it has tinted windows, no one can look in."

"But it's so slow!"

"It'll get us to where we need to go, so it's fine."

"Will both of you stop talking!" Alice told them. "I'm trying to save all our butts here, you know?"

The car was silent the rest of the way, except for the occasional order from Bella.


	3. Plans

They reached Cuernavaca without a problem. Soon, all three were in a small hotel room.

Jasper took out his cell phone and called Carlisle.

"How's everything over there?" Jasper asked him.

"Fine, Emmett and Edward are keeping watch. So far, we haven't seen any other vampires."

"Good."

"And you?"

"We're good. We reached the city all right, now all we have to do is find the girl. Her name's Sadie, by the way."

"Oh. How are you going to take her?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"I'm sure her parents will be worried sick. I really don't like what we're doing."

"Carlisle, it's either this or die. I don't know about you, but I really want to live a little while longer."

Bella touched Jasper's shoulder and quietly asked for the cell phone.

"Bella wants to talk to Edward, Carlisle."

Jasper handed the phone over to Bella. She put it to her ear, and a few seconds later, she heard her husband's voice.

"Bella," he said.

"Hi," she answered.

"How are you?"

"Well, no psycho vampires are trying to kill me this time."

"Bella," he growled, "you know that's not funny."

"Don't worry so much, I can protect myself now."

Bella could hear the doubt in Edward even if he wasn't saying anything.

"How's Renesmee?" she asked, changing the subject.

Edward growled, knowing what she was trying to do, then said softly, "She's fine. Just a little worried about you."

"Could you put her on?"

"Hello?" Renesmee's voice sounded through the phone.

"Hi, Nessie. How are you doing?"

"Fine, Jake's here with me. He says the pack is also keeping watch."

"Tell him thanks for me."

"Ok."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Edward's voice sounded again.

"So, what are you going to do about Sadie?"

"As I'm sure you heard from Carlisle's mind, we don't know yet. We have all day to figure it out."

As she spoke, Bella absentmindedly felt through the pack. Feeling through, she suddenly felt something sharp against her finger. Surprised, she took the pointy thing from the pack. It was a needle.

"Oh!" she gasped.

She sorted though the bag and found what she was looking for in a small vial.

"Bella? Bella?" Edward's voice asked worriedly from the phone.

"I have to go," she answered, "I'll talk to you later." She shut off the phone.

"Alice, what exactly will Sadie do today?"

"Um, I haven't really seen yet. Why?"

"I think I have an idea."

Bella explained her plan as Alice searched for Sadie's plans for the day.

"She's just going to stay home and study for a test."

"Perfect, let's go."

--------------

As night fell, all three were sitting inside their rented van outside of a large house.

"Are you sure she lives here?" Bella asked.

"Yes," Alice said exasperatedly.

"How much security has this place got?" Jasper asked.

"Just an alarm system. Sadie's parents turn it on every night before they go to bed."

"How do we get in there without setting it off?"

"Easy," Bella said, "we just have to get in there before it's set."

Jasper looked at her curiously.

"Look, Sadie is in school, so she gets up early every morning. And, from what Alice tells us, she's the studious type. So she should go to bed pretty soon, and her parents should take longer going to bed."

"Yes?"

"So, Sadie's parents set it BEFORE THEY GO TO BED. That means, we have between when Sadie goes to bed to when her parents go to bed. That should not be difficult for three super fast vampires, should it?"

Jasper smiled, "I like it."

Alice gasped and grinned widely, "It's going to work, I can see it."

"How much longer do we have to wait before Sadie falls asleep?" Bella asked Alice.

"About two more hours."

"And her parents?"

"We're in luck; they have a favorite TV show they watch today. It doesn't end until one o'clock in the morning, which gives us five more hours. And they won't check in on Sadie until the morning, which means, we have about eight hours to get her out of here."

"Eight hours to get her away? Easy." Jasper scoffed.

"Ok," Bella said, "when it's time, I'll sneak inside."

"I'll sneak inside, I have more experience," Jasper said, "I remember how you used to be," he grinned at her.

"Um, Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what she wears to bed? What if she doesn't cover her whole body? We have to preserve her modesty, we can give her that much."

"Oh," Jasper looked surprised.

"Don't worry, Bella," Alice said, "she does cover herself, she wears huge t-shirts," she looked at Jasper, "but, I still think you should be the one to do it."

--------------

Two hours later, Bella was standing in Sadie's window. She quietly leapt inside, and walked over to the large bed in the middle of the room.

Sadie was lying there, fast asleep. Her face looked peaceful, though a small line in her forehead showed she was usually worried or stressed. Her t-shirt barely reached her thighs, and her blankets were tangled around her legs. Bella sniffed, Sadie's blood's smell filled her nostrils, along with a faint smell of insect repellent.

Sadie murmured in her sleep, her voice muffled by voices coming from the TV in the next room. She turned over, and sighed.

Bella felt a slight sadness, it wasn't that long ago when she slept too, and could dream. Of course, now she had her dream, but there were times when she occasionally missed sleeping.

She crept closer to the bed, taking out the small vial and needle from her pocket. She slowly sucked a bit of the liquid into the needle, and then looked at Sadie.

Sadie's face had changed a little; the worry line in her forehead was a bit more prominent. She was really rather pretty, Bella thought.

Feeling guilty for what she was about to do, Bella prepared herself. Sadie, as if feeling the tension in the room, squirmed around, still asleep.

"Mom?" she asked.

Sensing she was about to awake, Bella quickly covered Sadie's mouth and thrust the needle into her arm. Sadie's eyes opened and widened, her mouth started to form a scream. There was a slight muffled gasp, and her eyes closed again.

Bella stayed still for a second, listening to see if there were abnormal sounds in the other rooms. Hearing nothing but the gunshots coming from the TV, she slowly turned back to the girl on the bed. Bella tore the topmost sheet from the bed and slowly wrapped Sadie in it, leaving just a small hole for her to breathe. Then, she gathered Sadie into her arms, and jumped lightly onto the window sill. She looked around the room, checking that nothing was out of order, and leapt onto the ground below. The van was waiting a block away.

Alice opened the door as Jasper started the car. Bella leapt in and put Sadie on the back seats.

Then they drove off, as fast as they could, back to Mexico City.


	4. Choices

"Mission accomplished," Bella said into the phone.

"Good, so you have her there?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes."

"Are you flying over?"

"No, we're driving. I mean, we can't get her through customs and security when she's like this. No, we're taking the scenic route."

"I thought all you had was a van."

"Uh, no. Apparently neither Jasper nor Alice like vans, so they turned on the charm and got a faster car instead."

"Oh."

"Anyway, we should be there soon."

"About how soon?"

"At the speed Jasper's driving, we should be there in two days."

--------------

Edward paced nervously through the living room, two pairs of eyes watching him as he did so.

"Edward, you're going to wear a hole through the floor if you keep on doing this," Esme said.

Edward said nothing, but continued walking.

Esme and Rosalie watched him a few minutes longer.

"All right, enough!" Rosalie said, "you're making me dizzy," and she left the room.

Esme looked after her and sighed.

Edward still said nothing.

After a few more minutes, Edward's head snapped up.

"Is it them?" Esme asked him.

Edward's face filled with joy, and he ran out to meet the car.

Bella leapt out as soon as she saw him. He caught her and spun around, kissing her strongly.

"Hi," she said.

Edward didn't say anything, but kissed her again, more fervently than before.

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted their kiss, then laughter.

"Just look at you two!" Emmett roared, "you should…"

Edward turned to look at Emmett and growled slightly. "Remember your promise," he said.

Bella interrupted their glaring contest, "Edward, will you let me down now?"

Edward laughed and dropped his arms, Bella landed gracefully on her feet.

"Now, shall we get down to business?" she asked.

Jasper and Alice had by this time greeted the rest of the Cullens.

"Where's Renesmee?" Bella asked.

"At this hour in the night, she's sleeping, of course," Edward answered, smiling down at his wife.

"How's the girl?" Esme asked worriedly.

Jasper leaned into the back seat and took Sadie into his arms. She was fast asleep. Taking care not to jostle her, he slowly lifted her out of the car.

Carlisle immediately sprang into action, listening to her pulse, opening one of her eyes and shining a light in it, checking her pupil dilation.

"She seems fine," he said. "How much of the solution did you give her?"

"Just enough to knock her out a while. We let her wake up about every five hours to eat something and use the restroom," Alice answered.

"We should get her inside; maybe put an IV in her. She might be dehydrated."

"She looks so pale, are you sure she's ok?" Esme asked.

"She'll be fine as soon as she gets some fluid and sugar in her," Carlisle said soothingly.

"Do we have a spare bed?" Bella asked.

"We do, and I think you know which one I mean," Edward said meaningfully. Bella glanced down at her engagement ring and the corners of her lips twitched slightly.

--------------

A short while later, Sadie was lying on a huge golden bed in Edward's old room. She was fast asleep, and an IV was attached to her arm.

All the vampires were standing outside the bedroom, looking in at the sleeping figure.

"So we have no idea what powers she has," Bella said.

"No, we don't," Carlisle explained, "I called Eleazar, but he had no idea what sort of power she could have. He's coming over as soon as he can to see her for himself."

"What are we going to do with her until then?" Esme asked.

"I don't know, I really don't," Carlisle shook his head sadly and walked downstairs.

Bella looked after him, then followed.

She followed him into the dining room, and there he stopped.

"What is it, Bella?" he asked.

"I just, I thought," she began hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I thought you wouldn't agree with all this, with kidnapping an innocent girl."

"I don't."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Bella," he said, and turned around, "I have a few vital priorities in my life, one of which is to protect my family. Maybe I don't agree with kidnapping, but is that really worse than putting a horrific weapon into the hands of those who want us dead? Is it the right thing to take this girl out of the Volturi's hands to save my family?" he paused. "I'm not saying kidnapping isn't wrong, I'm just saying that was the best option at the time. With that girl, the Volturi could easily exterminate not only us, but every other vampire clan that poses the slightest risk. And, there's also the danger that when Sadie is converted, she becomes intoxicated with the amount of power she has and does a very good job of not only killing vampires, but destroying innocent humans as well. So, Bella, in this difficult case, I have done what I believe is not only best for my family, but ultimately what might be best for everyone." And with that, Carlisle left.

Bella slowly walked back upstairs, and saw the rest of the family, all who were watching her curiously.

"What?" she asked annoyed, and they turned back to watching Sadie.

Suddenly, Alice gasped, and her eyes turned glassy. Everyone turned to her, knowing she had just had a vision. After a short while, she blinked and turned back to them.

"We have some shopping to do," she declared.

The faces of the vampires staring at her ranged from surprised to confused.

"Well, apparently we made a mistake," Alice said, "Sadie wears glasses, so unless we want her to be running into walls for the next few days, we have to buy her some. And we should buy her some clothes while we're at it."

"Do you know what type of glasses we should get her?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, she uses negative five." Alice motioned Esme over, and they both left.

"We still don't know what we're going to do with her," Edward said softly, "It's not like we can keep her here, not for long, anyway."

"Why?" Emmett asked, "It's not like we can't keep her from the Volturi."

"But what about her parents?" Rosalie asked softly.

"Maybe we can just keep her here long enough," Jasper answered, "then we can take her back."

"Do you really think the Volturi will just give up?" Edward asked him, "This girl could help them tip the power balance back in their favor. Do you think they'll just let what might be the greatest weapon ever go?"

Jasper had nothing to say. He looked quietly at Edward for a moment, then left, along with Emmett and Rosalie.

Bella turned to Edward, "We have to figure out what we're going to tell her."

"What?"

"What we're going to tell her. Will we tell her about the Volturi and everything? Or will we talk to her at all?"

"How long do we have until she wakes up?"

"About three hours."

"Good, that should give enough time for Esme to come back."

"Why Esme?"

"She's the most motherly of us, maybe she can keep Sadie from getting too frightened. And I'd rather Carlisle talk to her too."

"Yes, I guess that the best we can do, for now," Bella felt that if she could still cry, she would.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward said worriedly, hearing the sadness in her voice.

"Well, I just don't feel right. We took that girl right out of her family's house; she's going to miss them terribly. And I can't even imagine how worried her parents must be. And, and…"

Edward held Bella closely as she began to sob.

"Don't worry, Bella," he said comfortingly, "we'll figure something out, I promise."


	5. Circumstances

It was all very quiet as Edward held Bella.

Suddenly, some footsteps were heard climbing up the stairs. Bella and Edward turned to look at whoever it was.

"Hey," Jacob said.

"Hi," Bella and Edward answered.

"So," Jacob said, after an awkward moment, "I hear you saved someone from the Volturi."

"Yeah," Bella said, nodding toward Edward's old bedroom, "she's in there."

"She?" Jacob asked as he looked in. "Shit!" he exclaimed in surprise, "she's just a kid!"

"We know."

"How can a kid that size be of any use to the Volturi?"

"We don't know," Edward answered, "Carlisle's talked to Eleazar, but he doesn't know what kind of power Sadie could have. He will come over later, and maybe he could tell us after he's had a look at her."

"Sadie?"

"Yes, that's the girl's name."

"How old is she?"

"She's got to be around fifteen, she doesn't look much older than that," Bella said sadly.

Jacob quieted, hearing the sadness in Bella's voice. "That's very young," he whispered.

"Yes, we know," Edward said.

"Why is she asleep?"

"We gave her a dose of a substance Carlisle always has prepared for people he might find in need of help."

"You drugged her?!"

"We had to," Bella said, "can you imagine what she would have thought if she woke up and saw a person climbing in through her window even though it's on the second floor? If she woke up in a car going at a speed that no car should be able to reach? If she woke up in the arms of a vampire? She'd freak."

"Do you have any guarantee she won't freak anyway, once you tell her? Are you even going to?"

"Yes," Edward said, somewhat defensively, "we will tell her, as soon as Esme gets back."

"Where did she go?"

"Shopping with Alice."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jacob asked himself quietly. "What are you going to do with her? I mean, it's not like the Volturi are going to give up looking for her, are they?"

"Probably not. But we're still trying to figure this out. It's most probable Sadie will have to stay here a very long time. And we still probably won't manage to save her from the Volturi."

"She must pack a hell of a supernatural punch."

"Yes, that's the only reason why they would be so interested in her. We can only hope her power isn't too destructive."

"Why don't you simply turn her yourselves? Then she'd be on your side."

"If we turned her, which we won't, what are the probabilities that she would agree to stay on our side? If we turn her, there's nothing stopping her from tearing us all apart, then going onto Forks and feeding on everyone who lives there. With what her power could be, we can't risk it."

"Whoa, sorry for suggesting that."

"It's all right," Bella broke in, "you didn't know."

There was a short moment of silence, and then a door at the other end of the hall creaked open. A small face, the eyes still half-closed from sleep, peaked out. "Jake?" asked a small voice.

"Hey Nessie," Jacob said, turning around. A smile appeared on his face as he saw the girl he had imprinted on. He picked her up, and tossed her in the air. Renesmee giggled and shrieked playfully.

A quiet moan was heard from Edward's old bedroom. Bella peeked in and saw Sadie beginning to stir.

"She's waking up," she whispered.

Jacob stopped tossing Renesmee and quickly trotted downstairs, Nessie on his back. Edward and Bella ran downstairs after them.

--------------

Alice had just parked the car when Esme heard her name being called. She ran to meet Carlisle and Edward, who were standing at the foot of the stairs.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I think you and Carlisle should talk to Sadie," Edward said.

"Edward, you should come too, so you can help us understand her better," Carlisle argued.

Edward just shook his head, "I want to give her as much privacy as she can possibly have. It's going to be hard enough to tell her that she's going to have to live in a house full of vampires without telling her about the little mental privacy she will have."

"All right, Edward," Carlisle sighed. "I just wanted to know what to say to her, I don't want her to be afraid."

"She's going to be afraid anyway," Esme interrupted, putting her small hand on Carlisle's arm comfortingly. "I just don't understand why you need me to talk to her."

Edward smiled at Esme, "You've got a gift, Esme. You can make anyone feel at home, feel loved. I think she'll react best to you than anyone else."

"All right," Esme said, "let's go."

Carlisle and Esme turned to go upstairs as Renesmee appeared in the doorway heading into the living room.

"Can I meet her too?" she asked innocently.

Edward walked over to her and picked her up. "Sweetie," he said, "the girl is going to be very afraid-"

"Of us?" Nessie interrupted.

"Yes, Nessie. She will be afraid of us. She doesn't know what is going on. That's why Carlisle and Esme are going to help her understand everything."

"Ok," Renesmee said, and Edward lowered her to the ground. As soon as she was standing, she ran off. Jacob chuckled a little while later.

"You're going to have to run a lot faster than that if we're playing tag!" his voice was heard yelling. Laughter was heard, and cut off as the pair went outside.

--------------

"What will we tell her?" Esme asked her husband as they slowly climbed the stairs.

"I was thinking we'd tell her that we had to bring her here for her own protection, but not much more than that. I don't think we should tell her about us being vampires, not just yet."

"She will have to know eventually, Carlisle."

"I can only hope that by the time she has to know, we can send her home."

"Her parents must be worried sick."

"They are. The boys helped me set up a TV so we could watch the Mexican News."

"And?"

"Her parents have gone to about every police station possible. They have people searching everywhere."

"Have they found anything?"

"The police think Sadie ran away, it's the only possible explanation to how she disappeared. Only she could know the code to stop the alarm system. And it wouldn't make sense if someone broke into the house just to take a girl when they could have taken everything. Almost everyone thinks she's a runaway now."

"Almost everyone?"

"Her parents can't believe it, and neither can her sister. Apparently, Sadie and her little sister were very close. They interviewed the little girl, Sarah, her name was."

"What did she say?"

"That she couldn't believe Sadie would run away, not without taking her glasses anyway. Then, Sarah started to cry, and the interview was stopped."

"Poor Sarah, poor Sadie. Carlisle, what have we done?"

"The only thing we could under the circumstances, Esme."


	6. Angels

Sadie sleepily began to sense her surroundings. For the past couple of nights she'd been plagued by these weird dreams where she was traveling across the country with some ridiculously beautiful people. However, in between those short dreams, there were fearfully long periods of blackness.

Sadie contemplated her strange dreams as she turned and changed sleeping positions. She registered a slight smell, which reminded her of a field of flowers, or was it vanilla? The smell was too good to be true, telling her of beautiful days, long gone.

Confused, Sadie sniffed a little harder. There was no smell of insect-repellent, stale sweat, dirty bed-sheets, or of a sleeping person. What had happened to her usual rooms smell? Had her mother sprayed it with one of her special sleeping oils? Had someone opened her usually closed door?

Sadie, suddenly feeling cold, reached down and pulled the blankets around her shoulders. Suddenly, it hit her. Why would she be cold? It was summer, for goodness sakes! She should have kicked the covers off, and still be sweating!

Not wanting to open her eyes, Sadie reached over to her bedside table, her hand feeling for her glasses. Instead of hitting the hard, wooden table, or the large pile of books she usually kept there, she felt a long, metallic pole.

Finally, fear reached her. Sadie opened her eyes to see a blurry IV bag connected to her hand. Startled, she sat up. Even with her blurry vision she could see that she was someplace she had never been before.

Before she could try to see anything else, a voice on her other side startled her.

"These might help," it said.

The voice was unlike anything Sadie had heard before. It was what she imagined an angel's voice to be like, it sounded like heaven itself.

Sadie turned to see two people standing next to her. She was unable to make out their faces, but she could see that the smaller figure was offering her something. Sadie took the object, and felt it. It was a pair of glasses. Gratefully, she put them on.

Sadie saw there was something wrong with these glasses, they weren't her usual ones. They were clean, for one thing, missing the usual many fingerprints, eyelashes stuck to the edges, and dirt. Confused, Sadie took them off, feeling them with her fingers. These glasses were smaller than her usual horn-rimmed glasses. They were also thinner, better made. These glasses had not been bought at a sale, that was for sure.

Sadie put the glasses on again, this time turning to see who had given them to her.

The two people standing next to the bed were the most beautiful people she had ever seen. The smaller person was a woman. She had gorgeous caramel hair that fell in waves down her back. Her face was angelic; her figure, small and curved. Sadie immediately identified this woman with the Virgen de Guadalupe, her country's patron Virgin. This woman had a face that projected so much love, Sadie immediately felt calmer.

Sadie turned to look at the larger figure behind the beautiful woman. It was a man. He had short, light blond hair. Sadie immediately felt an urge to touch it, to see if it was as soft as it looked. The man's face was calm and beautiful. His face projected a need to help people, a feeling Sadie usually felt from doctors.

Sadie noticed that both people were as pale as marble; their skin even looked hard like it.

Sadie kept studying both faces, until she saw their eyes. They were golden, a gold Sadie had only seen in her parents' wedding rings.

Sadie felt a thought intrude in her study. Was she dead? Were these two beautiful people angels who had been sent to take her to heaven? Had her asthma finally caused her death?

Another, more practical, thought butted in. If she was dead, why would there be an IV stuck to her hand? Why would she feel cold?

Sadie knew the truth of this thought, and shook her head, ridding it of all the morbid things she had felt.

Suddenly, another of the chimes was heard, and Sadie turned to see the beautiful woman stretching her hand out to her.

"Hello," she said, "my name is Esme."

(A/N) Just thought I'd thank the one person who has reviewed. Thanks Joanna11! Thanks for taking the time, not only to read, but to review.


	7. Breakfast

Carlisle and Esme had been upstairs for quite a while. Downstairs, Alice sat on the bottom steps while Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie quietly watched a baseball game on TV. Edward and Bella stood near the window, watching their little daughter play with Jacob.

"How's it going up there?" Bella asked her husband.

"Sadie is very frightened, but Carlisle and Esme have managed to convince her that we're like the Witness Protection Program."

"But she's not a witness."

"They've still managed to convince her that we're only protecting her."

Suddenly, Alice gasped. All the vampires downstairs turned to look at her.

Edward immediately closed his eyes and tuned in to what Alice was seeing. "The Volturi," he growled.

"What are they doing?" asked Jasper.

"They're very angry, they've just seen the news in Mexico," Edward answered.

"Do they suspect us of taking her?"

"No, they believe she ran away, like the police said she did."

"What are they going to do?"

"Send in their tracker, Demetri, to find her."

"Can he find her?"

"He might, Alice can't see now."

Emmett cracked his knuckles and chuckled, "If he does, we'll just have to make sure he doesn't tell his bosses."

Alice yanked herself out of her vision and looked at everyone.

"Well," she said, "since Edward has told you everything, I think I can leave without worrying whether you know or not." Alice walked out of the room.

"Where's she going?" Bella asked Edward.

"She's going to try and cook some breakfast for Sadie," he answered, a twinkle in his eye. "You might want to help her."

Bella followed Alice into the kitchen.

"Bella!" Alice said, looking into the refrigerator. "What do you think she'd like to eat for breakfast?"

"Personally, I think she'd like scrambled eggs and toast."

"Aw, Bella, you're no fun. You don't think she'd like something a bit more sophisticated? Like, oh, I don't know, maybe Eggs Benedict? Or something like that?"

"Seriously, the girl just woke up after being asleep for almost two whole days. I think she'd be fine with scrambled eggs."

"Oh, all right. Here, you toast the bread while I cook the eggs."

--------------

A while later, Alice edged into the bedroom holding a tray carrying a large plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and a large glass of orange juice.

Sadie was sitting up, leaning against the metal frame of the bed. Esme was sitting on the bed next to her, Carlisle was standing next to his wife.

As soon as Alice entered, all the room's occupants looked up. Esme looked sad, for some reason. Sadie's eyes were rimmed with red, as if she had been crying for quite a while.

"I thought you might be hungry," Alice stated simply.

Sadie just looked at her in awe. Here was another beautiful woman, another angel.

She turned to Esme, "Are all the people in your family beautiful?"

Carlisle chuckled, "You could say that."

Alice paid no attention to these comments, but set the tray on the bed.

Sadie hungrily looked at the food.

"Thank you," she said. She raised a fork and began to eat.

While she was eating, Esme, Carlisle left the room. Alice looked at Sadie, satisfied that what she had cooked was being eaten, and also left. Esme and Carlisle were standing outside of Sadie's door.

"How did she take it?" Alice asked them.

"Rather well, considering…" Carlisle answered.

"We did hit a sore spot, when we were saying she couldn't leave for a while," Esme said, "she missed her family very much."

"So, have you decided what to do with her?" Alice asked.

"Well, I did have an idea," Carlisle said. "I thought maybe we could send her to the Quileute school, just until we can send her home."

"Send her to a werewolf school?" Alice wrinkled her nose.

"It's not like we can send her to the Forks High School, we'd have to be there at all times, and everyone who can protect her has already graduated. However, at the Quileute school, there are some werewolves still attending."

"Carlisle, that is a good idea," Esme complimented him. "She can still learn, and she will be protected from the Volturi."

"But not from the werewolves," Alice stated.

"We have to be willing to take that risk," Carlisle answered. "If she's going to stay here, we have to take care that she has a normal a life as possible. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few calls to make."

(A/N) My inspiration woke me up at 6 AM (!!!!!!!!) insisting that I write this chapter. Oh, and apparently her name is Catty. This is how the whole scene went.

I open the door

Me: Who the heck are you?

Catty: I am your inspiration, but you can call me Catty. I am here to inspire you, and if you do not write, I will use this rope thing to hurt you.

Me: A whip?

Catty: Oh! So that's what it's called! Indy didn't say when I took it from him.

Me: Wait, you stole the whip from INDIANA JONES?!

Catty: Well, I had to get it from somewhere.

Thank God Catty has absolutely no idea how to use the whip (Hey!), but since she has nicked my furniture and ripped my bedsheets with it I thought I should update this as soon as possible. Anyway, thanks for reading! And thanks to my one reviewer!


	8. Silence

"Has she said anything?" Bella asked.

"No, not since the day she woke up," Alice answered. "Esme's starting to get worried. She doesn't speak, she doesn't do anything."

"At all?"

"Nothing! She just sits by the window and looks out. I see her every time I take some food upstairs, she's always there! I have half a mind to ask Edward to read her mind, tell us what she's thinking."

"That won't work, I've tried asking him, he says that Sadie needs her privacy."

"Then what can we do?"

"I don't know."

The two vampires were in the kitchen, preparing something for their 'guest'. Esme walked in.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," she said, "and I think you're right. I'm going to ask Edward."

"But he'll refuse!" Bella protested.

"He won't refuse me," Esme answered, and walked outside to where Edward was watching his little daughter play with Jacob.

"Edward," Esme asked, "could you help me?"

"No, Esme, I won't read her mind."

"Please, Edward, just so we can understand her better. She's really starting to worry me."

Edward sighed, "All right." He closed his eyes for a moment and listened.

"She's really starting to doubt that we're the good guys," he said, his eyes still closed, "she doesn't believe us anymore. She also wants to see her family again, she misses them," his voice cracked slightly on his last words. He opened his eyes, "She is filled with so much sadness, if I listen too much I feel as if I'm drowning in it. She's afraid, and so am I."

"Oh, Edward," Esme hugged her copper-haired son, "thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me see what is inside her mind for one minute. I think I understand her better now."

"What are you going to do about her?"

"If she misses her family, we'll give her a little time, but then I think I'll call in reinforcements."

Edward stiffened at Esme's thoughts, "You're going to ask one of the dogs to talk to her? Esme, I don't…"

"Edward, she needs someone her own age to talk to her, she's just a kid."

Edward opened his mouth to protest.

"No, Edward, we're not her age. We might look it, but you know we are much older. She needs someone, a friend. Besides, it might do some good if she's going to the Quileute School anyway, to know someone who goes there."

"Well, you know what's best."

"Yes, I do," Esme turned to the pair playing happily near the woods. "Jacob?" she called.

Jacob turned and saw Esme. He picked up Nessie and ran over. Edward took his daughter out of Jacob's hands and took her inside, Nessie giggling all the way.

"Jacob," Esme said, "you've mentioned a few times that there are a few of you still at school."

"Yeah?" Jacob asked curiously, "What about it?"

"I was wondering whether you could ask one of your friends to talk to Sadie."

"Um, yeah, sure, I guess I could do that."

"Thank you, Jacob."

Jacob was silent for a moment, "I think I know who would be perfect for the job."

"Who?"

"He's a good friend of mine. His name's Mark."

(A/N) Well, there you go! Another chapter to keep you going. Sorry if it's short. Catty really got a lot of practice in her whipping skills, trying to make me write this.

Catty: Now I'm pretty good.

Me: Yeah, right.

Catty: (this word has been omitted by the author), yes I am!

Me: I told you not to say my name! I have a secret identity to keep, ya know?

Catty: Why?

Me: Because if the kids at school find out, I'm dead.

Catty: What am I supposed to call you then.

Me: I don't know, make something up.

Catty: How about Rissa?

Me: Why Rissa?

Catty: en-chant-RISS.....A?

Me: Oh, all right.

Catty: What about the diclaimer thingy?

Me: Oh, right.

Disclaimer: I still go to school, need I say more?


	9. Rain

"Are you sure about this?"

"Come on, Mark, you're our only hope," Jacob said as he hauled his reluctant friend upstairs.

"I just don't get why it's gotta be me."

"Because you and Sadie are the same age and are in the same grade, she can identify with you."

"A girl who's been kidnapped by vampires can adapt with a werewolf?" Mark asked skeptically.

"Just shut up and come upstairs."

Mark was a handsome seventeen-year-old. He had brown hair so dark it looked almost black; his skin was the same tan as Jacob's. His face had a sweet expression that never seemed to go away.

Jacob opened the door that led to Sadie's room.

Mark looked around the room as the door closed behind him. The walls were a rich, golden color. There was a bed in the center of the room, next to a small couch. Mark looked at the black metal bed-frame, the unwrinkled covers. He'd been told that Sadie had been sleeping in a chair by the window.

Mark looked up and saw her. Her brown hair was tangled, her face pale. She was wearing jeans and a purple tee-shirt. She'd settled in the fetal position, her knees to her chest, and her arms around her legs. Her eyes stared blankly out the window.

Mark instinctively knew she wouldn't talk for a while, so he sat on the couch.

Sadie gave no indication of hearing the quiet sound of the pillows deflating under the sitting boy, yet Mark sensed that she knew someone was in the room with her.

They sat quietly, each lost in their own thoughts, keeping each other company.

After an hour of silence, a quiet voice broke both trains of thought.

"Does it always rain so much here?"

"Yes," Mark answered, and the room was plunged into silence once more.

After a short while, the same quiet voice that had first spoken intruded into the silence again.

"You know? I used to love the rain."

Mark didn't say anything, sensing that she'd continue speaking on her own.

"I used to look out at it, and feel as if life were coming back into the earth."

Mark saw Sadie's eyes begin to water, but her gaze never moved from the window.

"I once read a book that said that the rain was the sky's way of loving the earth. It said that each little drop of water was a kiss to the earth's surface."

Sadie's eyes overran and tears streamed down her face.

"But here it looks like the sky is crying, and its tears fall onto the earth. And the earth cannot comfort the sky, and tell it everything is all right, because it's too far away."

And that was all Sadie said that day.

(A/N) Sorry if the chapter's a bit short for your taste, I just felt that was a nice ending to it.

Catty: Your readers are gonna kill you for making it so short.

Me: Well, I'll make it up to them later.

Catty: How? You'll be dead.

Me: You'll protect me.

Catty: Yeah, right. Now, how about that disclaimer.

Me: Oh, right...

Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the rain, just in case you were wondering.


	10. Classics

The next day, Mark returned, this time carrying a large book. He hoped he could get slightly ahead on his summer reading list while he waited for Sadie to speak.

He entered the room quietly, closing the door behind him. Sadie didn't react at the sound of the door closing, or of Mark sitting.

Mark sat and got himself comfortable as he opened his book.

Sadie heard the unmistakable sound of someone turning the pages of a book. She wondered what the boy was reading, and if it was a good book.

After a short while, her curiosity got too much to bear.

"What are you reading?" she asked him in the same quiet voice she'd used yesterday.

"Macbeth," Mark answered, effectively masking the satisfaction in his voice. It hadn't taken as long as yesterday for her to speak.

Mark wouldn't have heard the next words Sadie spoke if he hadn't had a werewolf's enhanced hearing.

"What's done cannot be undone," she quoted quietly.

"_So,_" thought Mark, "_she likes classics._" He wondered where he could get another classic he could lend to her, and maybe gain her trust. He thought of his cousin Stacy. She had a lot of classics that she'd read when she was younger, maybe she could lend him one.

Mark thought it over and over as he waited for Sadie to say something else, but she didn't speak again that day.

--------------

Mark went directly to his cousin Stacy's after leaving the elegant Cullen house. He knocked impatiently.

After a short while, Stacy's fiancé opened the door.

"Hi," said Mark "is Stacy home?"

"Yeah," the large man answered, and let him in.

"Mark!" a high voice said, and suddenly Mark received a large hug from his loving cousin.

"Hi, Stacy," Mark said. "Do you think I could talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Mark," Stacy said, and led him to the living room.

"Look," Mark began, "I need for you to lend me one of your classic books, it's for a friend of mine. She's a big fan of those, and she doesn't have any. Do you think you could? I promise I'll bring it back in perfect conditions!"

Stacy smiled, "A friend, Mark? Just a friend?"

"Yeah! Just a friend."

"Well, sure! I'll lend you one of my classics, in fact, I have a few right here!"

Stacy turned and began looking through the books cluttering one of the living room's tables. She searched through the large pile, and finally found what she was looking for.

"Here we go!" she said happily. "I'm sure your 'friend' will love this book. It's 'Little Women', a beautiful book, if you ask me."

"Thanks, Stace," Mark said as he was led back to the front door.

--------------

Mark returned on the third day carrying two heavy books. One was Macbeth, the other, Little Women.

He entered the room quietly, but instead of going to sit on the couch, he went over to the chair by the window. Sadie was still sitting there, her eyes glued to what she was seeing outside.

Mark stood in front of her, blocking her vision. Sadie, confused, looked up.

"Hi," Mark said, "I brought you something."

Sadie curiously looked at Mark. He offered her one of the books he was carrying.

"My cousin said it was a good book," he stated.

Sadie's eyes overran, and her hands shook slightly as she took the book from the large, warm hands holding it. She held the book as delicately as if she was holding a porcelain figure, then hugged it.

"Thank you," she whispered fervently, "you don't know how much this means to me."

Mark turned to go back to the couch where he'd been spending his time.

"Wait," the quiet voice stopped him. Mark turned around and saw Sadie standing. She approached the immobile boy, and looked into his eyes.

Mark didn't expect what Sadie did next. She put her arms around him and started crying into his shoulder.

Slightly awkwardly, Mark hugged her back. Sadie kept crying.

After a short while, Sadie calmed down, and she pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't even know your name."

"It's Mark."

"Well, thank you Mark. And I'm sorry for that, you don't know me, it was completely inappropriate."

"It's ok, you needed it."

Sadie smiled up at him. This boy reminded her of one of her friends back home.

--------------

Mark stayed a long time with Sadie, that day. They read in company, her sitting in the chair, him on the couch. After dark had crept in on the house, Mark stood up and stretched. A small thud called his attention to the girl by the window. She was fast asleep; the thud was the book as it fell out of her hand and onto the floor. Mark smiled slightly, and went over to her.

In sleep, her face looked peaceful, as if the weight had been taken off her shoulders.

Mark thought it wouldn't be a good idea to let her sleep on the chair, so he lifted her up, being careful not to wake her. He slowly walked to the bed and lay her there. He pulled away softly, and then noticed that one of Sadie's hands had curled around his arm, and was holding him there.

Mark smiled slightly, then carefully opened the small hand holding him, and laid it next to the sleeping figure.

(A/N) Awww! How cute! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Seriously, it's like I'm on some inspiration high.

Catty: I don't know why, it's not like I'm drugging you or anything. Oh, and don't forget the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Little Women, or Macbeth. I do own Mark, Sadie, Stacy and Stacy's fiancé, though.


	11. Movie

Mark crept stealthily into the Cullen house. He tried to be as quiet as he could, but he knew that everyone probably knew he'd come.

"Mark!" Alice exclaimed, running into the hall. Esme, Edward and Carlisle followed her.

Esme took Mark's hand and held it to her chest fondly.

"We just wanted to thank you," she said, "Sadie is eating more, and she looks a lot better…"

"And she even smiled at me today!" Alice interrupted excitedly. "She's also wearing more of the clothes I got her!" Alice's enthusiasm for clothes was obvious. "Bella could learn a thing or two from her," she added.

"The only reason she wears the clothes you bought her is because she has none of her own," Edward said teasingly.

Alice growled slightly at him. When she saw he was smiling, she lightly punched his arm.

Carlisle smiled warmly at his children, and then turned to Mark.

"I don't know how we could thank you," he said.

"Well," Mark began, "I was kinda hoping that maybe Sadie and I could watch a movie today."

Seeing the looks of shock on all the vampires' faces Mark continued quickly. "No! I don't mean going to the movies, I mean watching a movie on your big TV over in the living room. Look," Mark said, opening the backpack he'd brought along, "I even brought a couple of movies, so she could choose which one she'd like."

"You do know that we have a very large collection of movies here, don't you?" Edward asked the werewolf.

"Yes, but I thought maybe you wouldn't have the movies that she likes."

"Of course," Esme said. "You can watch a movie."

"Um, I was also hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind leaving the living room, just so Sadie isn't intimidated or anything. No offense or anything, but you can be kinda freaky to someone who isn't used to you."

"Yes, understandable," Carlisle said seriously. "Edward, go tell your brothers to watch the game somewhere else."

Edward nodded and ran off to the living room. Carlisle and Esme walked away calmly. Alice began to hop in excitement.

"I'll make you guys some snacks!" she said, and she rushed off to the kitchen. Soon, the clatter of pots and pans was heard.

Mark winced, and then made his way upstairs.

--------------

Mark approached the room he'd been visiting daily for the past few days. Sadie had started talking more ever since he'd lent her the book. It seemed that the way to her heart was through a good novel.

Mark knocked on the door. Sadie's quiet voice rang through the silence.

"Come in," she said.

Mark entered the room. Sadie, for once, was not seated on the chair by the window. She was lying on the couch, 'Little Women' in her hand. She was wearing some expensive white jeans and a blue shirt that seemed to be made of silk. She'd brushed her hair, so it no longer resembled a bird's nest. Instead, her hair fell in waves down her back. Her glasses had a few fingerprints on them, but they did not seem to bother her.

Sadie looked up from her book and turned to Mark. She smiled and brushed away a stray hair that fell in her face.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Hi," Mark answered, then held up his backpack. "I thought maybe we could watch a movie today, instead of reading."

"Ok," Sadie said, and stood up, folding a page in the book before she closed it and set it on the bed.

Mark led the girl downstairs. He was glad he'd gotten her out of her room, and that finally she was acting more normal.

Sadie followed Mark, staring at the house as she did so. Everything was so beautiful, so expensive. Sadie felt as if she had just stepped into a modern palace, or a museum.

--------------

They made their way into the living room, where Sadie stared aghast at the huge plasma screen TV.

Mark, trying to ignore the urge to inspect the television more closely, opened his backpack and took out the many movies he'd brought.

"So," he asked, "what do you want to watch?"

Sadie looked at him, surprised. "You want me to pick?"

"Yeah."

"You might not like it, though."

"Aw, come on! Just pick already! I won't mind, whatever movie it is."

Sadie looked over the selection of movies. She inspected a few closely, and set them aside. From that small pile she then picked three movies. She showed them to Mark.

"Which one do you want to watch?" she asked him.

Mark looked over the three movies she'd picked: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring', 'Star Wars IV', and 'Spider-Man'.

"These are the ones you want to watch?" he said disbelievingly.

"Well, these are the movies I'd most like to watch from the ones you brought," she stated.

"I didn't think you'd pick these," Mark said.

"Why?"

"I don't know, I'd pegged you more for the chick-flick kind of girl."

"Hey!" Sadie said menacingly, "Just because I'm a girl I don't have to choose completely idiotic romance movies, or comedies!"

"What do you have against those movies?"

"Nothing, I just like adventure better. Now pick!"

Mark picked up Spider-Man and put it into the movie player. He then sat next to Sadie on the couch.

"Why do you like that type of movies anyway?" he asked.

"I just like the idea that one person, usually a person nobody even expects, can make a difference."

"Huh?"

"Well, take Peter Parker, for instance. He might look like a regular nerd, but he's also Spider-Man, the city's only superhero. I like that."

Mark looked at Sadie, thinking of how much like Peter Parker he and her might actually be. He, apparently an ordinary teen, was also a werewolf. And Sadie, who was about as ordinary as dirt, could actually be the greatest weapon in the vampire world.

His thoughts were interrupted as Alice entered the room, holding a tray carrying chips, dip, sodas, carrot sticks, and many other things.

Startled, Sadie jumped slightly in her seat.

Alice smiled at the pair sitting on the couch.

"I thought you might like something to eat while you watched your movie," she said.

Mark smiled slightly, and then looked at her meaningfully.

Alice realized what Mark meant, and she left the room.

"Have fun!" she called over her shoulder.

Mark and Sadie looked at each other a bit awkwardly, then turned to the TV as the movie started.

--------------

Mark sneaked glances over to Sadie as she watched the movie. She seemed genuinely excited to watch it, although Mark could tell she'd watched it many times before.

Mark wondered how this girl could be so powerful, when she seemed so ordinary watching a movie with him. It seemed silly to imagine how dangerous she could be when she was so excited to watch a simple movie. She was different from other girls, though, Mark could tell. Her taste in movies, for one. Her need for her family, another. Mark was used to girls complaining about their families, about how they could never understand them; but in the short time he'd known Sadie, he'd found out that to her, her family was her life.

She seemed more caring, more compassionate than other girls. She was the type of person who would give their last bit of candy to a kid who scraped his knee; the type of girl who would keep a complete stranger's child from crying in the doctor's office while getting a shot.

This girl was different, Mark concluded, but he felt that she was someone he could be good friends with.

--------------

Sadie also threw glances over at her new friend. He was a good person, she concluded, and thus he was her friend. He was large, yes, and occasionally fierce-looking, but Sadie had seen the sweetness in his face, and she'd known that in this large man's body, a young child lay hid.

Sadie had automatically known that his sweet side was only shown to certain people, and she felt proud that she'd seen it.

She also sensed the urge he had an urge to protect those weaker than him. Sadie smiled secretly, she wasn't as weak as he thought, yet she made him happy letting him believe that he was protecting her.

Unknowingly to both, Alice stood outside the living room, watching them. She had a strange feeling that these two would become inseparable, though not in the way that Edward and Bella were. Alice knew these two would eventually become the best of friends.

(A/N) Well, I hope you enjoyed that! Ok, I know, maybe there's not enough action for you guys, but in the future you'll see why these beginnings of friendship scenes are important.

Catty: Don't forget the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight, nor Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars.

Oh, and I have nothing against romance movies or comedies or chick-flicks. That's just my characters.

Thanks to my reviewers! You're awesome for reviewing when other people are too lazy!


	12. Picnic

Mark made his way into the now-familiar room at the top of the stairs. He knocked and went in.

Sadie was sitting on the bed, wearing black jeans and a white top. She was brushing her hair, counting the strokes under her breath.

She turned to look at him, a smile filled her face.

"Guess what?" Mark asked her.

"What?"

"It's sunny today."

Sadie looked excited. She ran to the window and looked out. She gasped in wonder as she looked at the outdoors. It had rained well into the night. Everything was wet, and all the drops caused dazzling rainbows and lights to be cast. It was shiny, like a fairy's playground.

"It's beautiful," Sadie whispered.

Mark walked over to the window as well. He spoke quietly to Sadie.

"I thought maybe we could go outside today, since it's sunny and everything."

The happiness in Sadie's face was evident, and she could hardly keep from running downstairs and out the door. Mark followed her, chuckling quietly to himself.

As soon as Sadie was outside, she turned her face to the sun and twirled, giggling in amusement. She motioned to Mark.

"Come on!" she said to him.

Sadie's enthusiasm was contagious, and soon the pair was running and (in Sadie's case) twirling around in the sunlight, laughing as they did so.

Finally, when Sadie had calmed down a little bit, Mark motioned for her to follow him. Curious, Sadie did so, and soon found herself next to a picnic blanket and basket.

"Alice made this for us," Mark told her as her face lit up.

"This is perfect," Sadie said as she lay down on the blanket.

Mark laughed, "The blanket is for the food, Sadie, not for us!"

"I know," Sadie said, "but if we sit on the grass, we'll get wet. The food can stay in the basket, and we'll just take out what we're going to eat."

Mark agreed and sat next to Sadie on the picnic blanket.

Sadie sighed and appeared to drink in the sun's rays.

"You know," she said, "this is the first time I've seen the sun since I've been in this protection program thing."

"Yeah," Mark agreed, "I know."

"I'm not used to going without sunlight," she answered, "I mean, there's also a rainy season where I live, but we get to see the sun once in a while. Here, it's just an always present cover of clouds, as far as you can see."

Mark lay down next to her, and listened.

Sadie sighed, suddenly filled with memories.

"Tell me about you," she said.

"I feel like I'm in kindergarten again," Mark said, laughing.

"Why?"

"Because when you first go there, they ask you to talk about yourself, so everyone can get to know each other."

"Well, whatever. I just want to know more about you. All I know is that your name is Mark and you have something against girls who like action movies."

"I don't have anything against them!"

"Just talk to me."

"Um, ok. My name is Mark, I'm an only child. I like to watch action movies and play video-games. I'm in eleventh grade, I'm seventeen years old. There, now it's your turn."

"My name is Sadie," Sadie said, then giggled. "You're right, it does feel like kindergarten again!"

"Are you going to laugh or are you going to tell me about you?"

"Ok, um, I used to live in Cuernavaca. I have one sister, Sarah, she's fourteen. I'm sixteen years old. I'm in eleventh grade. Um, I like to read and watch action movies."

"Tell me more about your sister."

"Aw, come on! It's not fair, it's your turn!"

"But I don't have brothers or sisters, so I can't talk about them."

"Oh, all right. Um, her name is Sarah…"

"You already said that."

"She's my complete opposite."

"How?"

"She's more of a chick-flick kind of girl, for one thing."

Mark laughed, "Will you drop that?"

"Ok, ok. She's thinner than me, and her skin's lighter. Her hair is lighter too."

"Wow, where did she get those from?"

"I look more like my dad, but my sister got it from mom's side of the family."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, she was born in New York."

"Oh, so that's why both of your names are more English sounding than Spanish."

"And also why we speak such good English."

"Hey, you're right. I hadn't noticed, but you barely have an accent."

"Thanks. Now it's your turn to tell me about your family."

"Um, ok. I live with my mom; my dad died when I was very small, car accident."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I was really young, I don't even remember it all that well."

"It must have been terrible."

"Yeah, but, like I said, I don't remember that well."

"Tell me more about your mom."

"She's really nice. She works as a secretary. She also makes the most amazing chocolate-chip cookies."

"Wow, I love cookies."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but I don't think there's any here. I mean, with how skinny all these people are… It's like living with supermodels. This is definitely lowering my self-esteem."

"What, the Cullens?"

"Yeah, and they're creepy too. The way they move, how they don't make any noise, it's really weird. It's like they're there one minute, and gone the next. I don't know, I just don't feel comfortable around them. Where are they, anyways?"

"Oh, I think they went to town," Mark answered, knowing that the vampire family couldn't let Sadie see them in the sunlight, and they were probably in the forest somewhere.

"Huh, I thought I was supposed to be protected 24/7 and all that."

Mark grinned sheepishly at her.

"Oh my goodness! You're my bodyguard, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but don't let that get in the way of our talk. Come on, I'm really enjoying myself."

"I thought you only like chick-flick kind of girls."

"Will you just drop that already!"

"I'm just having a bit of innocent fun! You're fun to be around, you know that?"

"I am?"

"Yeah, even if you are my bodyguard person."

"Well, you're kind of fun to be around too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're like the only person I've ever heard to say 'oh my goodness'. Seriously, you sound like the 'Annie' movie."

Sadie punched Mark lightly in the arm. He looked at her smugly.

"That didn't hurt you know."

Sadie punched him again, slightly harder.

"You punch like a girl," Mark said, getting up.

Sadie gasped in mock anger and stood up. She chased Mark around and around the picnic blanket.

--------------

Unknown to both of them, two vampires watched them from the shadows of the woods.

"I knew they would be good for each other," Esme told her husband.

"Yes, I know. You're always right," he answered, smiling at her.

They hugged as they watched the running pair.

(A/N) This chapter is dedicated to everyone who's ever gotten a vaccine and ended up with a very sore arm and a high fever! I really didn't feel like writing this, but Catty insisted.

Catty: Well, you need to please your fans.

Me: Yeah, whatever.

Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight, nor Annie, nor picnics.


	13. School

Sadie and Mark were sitting on the couch in the living room, discussing the 'Mission Impossible' movie they'd just watched, when Carlisle entered the room, a few documents in his hand.

"Sadie," he said, interrupting the controversial argument on the couch, "we're going to get you some documents, and I wanted to know a few things."

Sadie turned to Carlisle.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to know?" she asked.

Carlisle asked her a few questions, Sadie answered truthfully.

"Oh, and last of all, would you like your last name to be Cullen? We could introduce you as a niece or a cousin if you like," Carlisle said.

"Um, Carlisle, no offense to the Cullen name or anything, but I think it would be easier if Sadie was introduced as my cousin, especially if she's going to school on the reservation," Mark said.

Carlisle agreed with Mark's conclusion.

"So, Sadie Fuller it is," Carlisle said.

For the first time since she'd woken up, Sadie looked frightened.

"Wait," she said, "I'm going to school?"

"Oh," Carlisle realized, "I'm sorry, we have not told you yet, have we? Since you're going to be here for a while, we thought you'd best go to school on the reservation."

Sadie still looked shocked. Mark noticed this, and he motioned for Carlisle to leave the room. Carlisle nodded and did so.

Mark turned to the girl frozen in shock on the couch.

"Sadie, are you ok?"

"Oh my goodne…" Sadie looked at Mark and stopped, smiling. "I just… well, it's a new school and everything."

"Yeah, so?"

"What if you're all much farther ahead than I am?"

"Well, I might not be a straight A student, but, if you want, I'll help you out. But, Sadie, come on! We both know that's not what's really bothering you."

"No, you're right, it's not."

After a short silence, Mark asked, "Are you going to tell me?"

Sadie smiled, but kept quiet.

"I thought so," Mark grumbled. "I'll find out anyway, you know," he warned.

After seeing that Sadie wouldn't crack, Mark quietly wondered what she was so afraid of.

--------------

A few days later, a car entered the reservation's school parking lot. It was nearly empty as the car parked by one of the buildings.

Inside the car, Sadie tapped her fingers nervously against the window. Mark looked at her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Sadie nodded, and the pair got out of the car. They headed towards the office.

--------------

Vanessa arrived at the school driving her new car. Her parents had given it to her a few days ago, and she wanted to show it to all of her friends, especially Mark. She'd never told anyone, but she really, really liked him, even if he was kind of weird sometimes.

Vanessa leaned on her car and tried to look as casual as she could. She knew her new ride would attract Mark's attention; every normal guy would flock to her soon.

To Vanessa's surprise, he came out of the office; there was no reason for him to be in there. Mark was holding the door open for someone.

Curiously, Vanessa tried to see who was walking behind her crush.

Vanessa became horrified as she saw a brown-haired girl come out of the office and take Mark's hand.

Had Mark gotten a girlfriend over the summer?

Vanessa watched as the girl and Mark talked to each other. They seemed to be in their own little bubble, not noticing the world around them.

Vanessa felt anger fill her as she watched the girl giggle at something Mark said.

Determined, Vanessa decided that she would take Mark away from this girl, if it was the last thing she did.

--------------

Sadie stepped out of the office. Mark closed the door and began to walk away. Sadie reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Thanks," Sadie said.

"It was nothing," Mark answered. "See? I told you it would be all right."

Sadie giggled, "Yeah, you did."

She took the list of classes she was taking out of her book-bag. Mark looked curiously at the bag.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"Oh, you mean this ridiculously expensive thing?"

Mark nodded.

"Alice."

Mark snorted, "I should have known." Then he asked Sadie innocently, "What classes are you taking?"

Sadie turned to look at Mark accusingly, "You should know! You're taking the same ones!"

Mark laughed, "Well, yeah. Could you at least tell me what class we have first?"

Sadie looked at the slightly wrinkled schedule.

"Um, we have Math."

"Yippee," Mark said sarcastically.

Sadie felt someone watching her, and turned to look at a beautiful girl leaning on what was probably her new car.

"Mark, who's that?" Sadie asked.

Mark turned to look at the girl.

"Oh, that's Vanessa Jefferson. She's like the 'queen' of the school."

Mark saw another car enter the parking lot. He smiled and pulled Sadie in the direction of it.

--------------

Vanessa watched as Mark pulled the girl toward his friends. Those boys were part of the 'La Push Protectors', whatever that was. Mark was the youngest; most of the others were seniors or had already graduated.

Vanessa felt her jealousy rising as the girl was introduced to the hottest seniors on campus. And, to top it all off, Vanessa had noticed that the girl was wearing clothes that definitely had more than three zeros in the price-tag.

It didn't seem fair, this girl had an amazing boyfriend and she was loaded. What did Vanessa get? Nothing.

--------------

Embarrassed, Sadie greeted all of Mark's friends, trying desperately not to blush. After a while, their talk turned to cars, especially Vanessa's car, and Sadie put some distance between herself and the group. It wasn't that she didn't like them; she just didn't understand all their technical talks. She looked at the building and tried not to feel intimidated.

She noticed that Vanessa was walking toward her, and she turned and smiled at the girl.

Vanessa had an angry look on her face as she approached her rival.

"Nobody wants you here," she said, "so why don't you just go back to where you came from?"

Confused, Sadie looked at Vanessa. She hadn't done anything to offend her, so why was she so angry? Sadie turned to look over at where Mark was.

Vanessa noticed. "So… you've got Mark on your side. Are you sleeping with him? Maybe not only with him, but with all the seniors? You're a slut!" Vanessa yelled at the girl.

Mark heard the yell and turned to the girls. He started walking towards them.

Vanessa saw and leaned over to whisper in Sadie's ear, "You know, this doesn't end here." Vanessa turned and smiled at Mark. Then, she walked quickly away.

Mark put his arms around the stunned Sadie, trying to comfort her. After a while, he noticed that she wasn't crying or reacting in any other way.

"Sadie, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Those were some pretty bad insults."

"Yeah," Sadie said as she looked Mark in the eyes. "I know she didn't mean them, not really."

"What do you mean? Of course she meant them!"

"No, she couldn't. Hate is a powerful emotion; you can't hate someone after just seeing them for a while. It's impossible. So she felt the need to insult me for some other reason."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Could be a lot of things. She could be jealous for some reason; she could have a low self-esteem and insulting people helps her feel better; she could be having a huge problem at home and she just needed to blow off some steam. See? It could have been anything."

"Wow. You deal with this quite well."

"Well, I've had to," Sadie said sadly in a quiet voice Mark hadn't heard since the first day.

"Wait, what do you mean you've had to?" Mark paused for a second, then continued, "What did they do to you at your old school."

Sadie didn't answer.

"That bad, huh?"

"No! They didn't do anything!"

"Did they stuff you in your locker or something? I thought that was only in the movies, but looking at you, I wouldn't put anything past that."

"No, the lockers weren't big enough."

"So they tried?"

"No!"

"So what did they do?"

Sadie sighed, looking at the ground, "Well, let's just say they weren't kind. And I had to learn the way to deal with insults the hard way."

The bell rang then, and they both ran into the school.

(A/N) Here ya go! A nice, long chappie! I hope you like it! Oh, and I added another character to the story (she's completely mine), Vanessa. Everyone always says there are two sides to every story, so I decided to put a bit of Vanessa's mind in here. I just wanted you guys to understand her. She's not a regular bully (well, maybe she is, but the point is every bully bullies for a reason).

Catty: Enough of your rambling! Put in the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I only own Mark, Sadie and Vanessa. I do not own Twilight or Mission Impossible.


	14. Families

Sadie yawned and stretched. She had had a dream about her mother. It was a good dream, which was strange. Usually Sadie's fears were reflected into her dreams, turning them into nightmares. Sadie's greatest fear always turned a dream about her family into a horrible massacre, because the thing she feared the most was the death of her family, leaving her all alone.

But today, her dream had been a good dream. She had been standing in her old room, searching for something. Her mother had come in, and she had smiled. Sadie had smiled back, and they had hugged.

Sadie tried to remember more, but the more she tried, the more she seemed to forget. Finally, Sadie gave up. She knew that sometimes you would remember dreams when you weren't even trying to think about them, the rest of the dream would come back eventually.

It was a rainy day outside, so Sadie grabbed one of the cashmere sweaters Alice had bought her, and decided to pair it with some jeans. She put the outfit on the bed and she stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.

Sadie loved the feeling of warm water running down her body. Forks was too cold, in her opinion. Sadie wanted to see the sun again, to be able to put on a bathing suit and go swimming in warm water.

Sadie sighed as she dried her hair. She lived here now, for her own protection. It was important, for some reason, to not leave Forks. There was danger outside the small town.

Sadie got dressed and bounced down the steps and into the kitchen. Alice was already there, just as she was every morning. She seemed to feel the need to prove her cooking skills by making the most delicious dishes she could to Sadie.

Curiously, no one in the Cullen family ever seemed to eat. Occasionally a member of the family drifted into the kitchen, but they never even tasted the food Alice took great pains in making.

Sometimes Esme or Bella were there too, helping Alice out.

Sadie quite liked Esme, she reminded her so much of her own mother. Alice was a very nice person, maybe occasionally hyper, but Sadie liked her. Bella didn't live in the house, so Sadie didn't get as many chances to talk to her as she did with everyone else. She lived with Edward somewhere else.

Edward was a bit scary, in Sadie's opinion. He never seemed surprised by anything, and sometimes it seemed like he would know what someone would say before they said it. Sadie had noticed his eyes follow her sometimes, and a few expressions would show on his face as he watched her. Sadie didn't know what to think about him. His father though, Carlisle, was so calm and rational. He was obviously the head of the family. Sadie could feel his strength, but in the way he seemed to care about her he reminded her of a father.

The rest of the family was difficult to describe. Emmett, however, could only be described as loud. Sadie had also noticed that he enjoyed making rather inappropriate comments to Edward and Bella, especially Bella. Jasper seemed nice enough, and Sadie always felt calm around him, yet he never approached her, as though he was afraid of her. Rosalie was, definitely, drop-dead gorgeous. Sadie had never seen anyone so beautiful in her entire life. Not even the actresses on TV could rival her. However, along with the looks of an incredibly famous model, she also had the attitude. It was obvious she knew she was so beautiful, and knew how to use her beauty. Sometimes it even seemed that she was disgusted at Sadie's obvious plainness. Sadie could almost feel her self-esteem plummet whenever Rosalie walked into the room.

But even with her awkwardness with some of the members of the Cullen family, Sadie was happy.

As Sadie entered the kitchen, Alice turned around.

"I've made you French toast," she said. "But I don't know if you want maple syrup or honey. Which one?"

Sadie's answer was interrupted by a knock on the door. A short while later Mark stepped into the room.

He sniffed and smiled.

"That smells good," he said.

Alice grinned as she placed a plate with a huge pile of toast in front of the boy. She placed another dish with four slices in front of Sadie.

"Eat up," she said.

Sadie looked confused. "Did you know that Mark was coming?" she asked Alice.

"Oh, yes," Alice said awkwardly, "a little birdie told me." Alice walked out of the room.

Sadie looked at Mark's plate. "Wow, that's a lot of food. Are you really that hungry?"

Mark licked his lips and said teasingly, "Well, I'm a growing boy."

Sadie laughed, "If you grow any more you're going to end up knocking holes in the ceiling!"

Mark did eat all the twenty pieces of French toast he had on his plate, along with two others Sadie couldn't.

"Come on," Mark said, "we'll be late."

Sadie grabbed her bag quickly and followed Mark into his car. They drove to school.

On the way there, Sadie took out her date-book. She had a terrible memory, and if she didn't write assignments or homework down she'd forget all about it.

She looked at the date, and gasped.

Mark parked the car and turned to her. Sadie seemed to be frozen.

"What's wrong, Sadie?" he asked.

Sadie didn't answer.

"Did we have a test today or something?"

Sadie shook her head slowly, and passed her finger over the date.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's my mom's birthday today," Sadie whispered. "She was so excited. She was going to throw a party, and she would have invited my whole family. It was going to be a great day. I guess now that I'm not there she would have canceled it."

Tears ran down Sadie's face. Mark hugged her awkwardly, then pulled her onto his lap so he could comfort her better.

"I was going to give her a sweater I'd bought a few weeks ago," Sadie sobbed. "I even wrapped it and everything."

Mark held Sadie as she cried.

"I just miss them so much," she said, her voice muffled in her hands.

"I know, Sadie, I know," Mark whispered comfortingly.

(A/N) I hope you enjoy that! Anyway, I just thought I'd include a chappie including all of Sadie's thoughts. They're important to know.

Catty: Why do I even keep reminding you to put the disclaimer? You should remember by now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or dreams, or cashmere sweaters.


	15. Cigarrettes

Fall had come. Leaves lay on the ground, crunching underneath Sadie's feet as she walked over to the car. Mark was waiting for her there.

They drove to school in silence.

--------------

When they arrived, Sadie stepped out onto the orange and yellow landscape.

"I don't like fall," she stated.

"Why not?" Mark asked.

"It's like the beginning of death, of when all the leaves and plants are dead. You know? We don't have fall back at home."

"Home? Oh! You mean back in Mexico."

"Well, that is my home."

"I thought you lived with the Cullens now."

"Yeah, but Mexico will always be my home, 'cause that's where my family is. And you know what they say: 'Home is where the heart is'" she quoted.

"So you don't have fall back home?"

"No, over there, it's always green and beautiful, even during the winter."

"Over here, it snows."

"Does it snow a lot? Can we make snowmen and everything?"

"It doesn't snow that much!" Mark laughed.

"I think Forks is the wettest, most dismal place on Earth," Sadie said musingly.

As if on cue, rain began to fall. Sadie shrieked, then Mark and she ran inside the school.

Once inside, Sadie took off her jacket. Mark shook his wet hair. Sadie yelped as Mark sprayed her, then laughed. They were still laughing as Vanessa approached.

"Hello," she said to Mark, flipping her hair over her shoulder. A few strands hit Sadie in the face.

"So, I'm having a small party over at my house next week, want to come?" she asked, still ignoring Sadie.

"Come on! It's really exclusive, only the best people at school are going!" Vanessa insisted.

Sadie knew Mark now had to make a choice. He could choose to be a part of the popular group of the school, or he could choose to sit on the sidelines with her.

"I'll see you in class, Mark, Vanessa" Sadie said. She walked over to the nearly empty classroom and took out her books.

A few minutes later, Mark ran inside.

"So, are you going?" Sadie asked him.

"No."

"Why not? It's not like you have to take care of me all the time, the Cullens would take over during the party."

"I don't like Vanessa or her friends. They make me feel, I don't know, dirty or something. Why do you want me to go anyway?"

"It would do you good to have more friends."

"Why would I want more friends? I have you, the Cullens, and the gang."

"I meant more friends your age."

"Now you just sound like my mother."

--------------

School passed in a blur, and soon, Sadie and Mark were making their way back to the car.

Sadie was looking for her date-book in her backpack.

"You go ahead, Mark," she said, "I think I dropped my book in the bathroom. I'll be right there."

Mark nodded and walked to the car as Sadie trotted back into the building. She hurried to the bathroom, where she smelled smoke.

Sadie ran into the bathroom, and she saw Vanessa and quite a few of their friends smoking cigarettes by the sinks. Hoping no one would notice her, Sadie grabbed her date-book from where it was lying by the door and began to walk outside.

"Sadie," Vanessa called threateningly, "don't you dare tell anyone about this, understood?"

Sadie nodded desperately and ran out to the car. Mark noticed her agitated state and asked her about it, but Sadie didn't say anything.

Sadie knew those girls were doing wrong, yet she'd said she wouldn't tell anyone about it, and Sadie tried to never lie.

Memories of her dying grandfather filled her mind. Her grandpa had smoked, and because of that he had gotten lung cancer, which had spread to his stomach, kidney, heart and liver. Sadie still remembered the many days she spent by his bedside, and the horror when he died. It had all happened less than three years ago, yet Sadie still remembered as though it were only yesterday.

These girls were doing wrong, but Sadie wouldn't tell anybody.

"_It's their body, let them do with it whatever they want,_" she tried to reason with herself.

--------------

Sadie was quiet the whole way home. As soon as they got to the Cullens' house, she quietly told Mark goodbye and went upstairs to her room.

Edward was sitting on the couch watching the game with his brothers when he heard Sadie's thoughts. They overwhelmed him with their intensity and feeling. He read them quickly, and stood up.

Jasper looked up as he felt Sadie's conflicting emotions. He automatically began to radiate a sense of peace and tranquility.

Emmett was oblivious to both of his brothers' suffering. He roared as his favorite team made a touchdown.

Edward looked at Jasper, and they both went to find Carlisle.

--------------

"What is it?" Carlisle asked Edward.

"I think you should make a call to the Quileute school."

"Why?"

"Sadie found some girls smoking in the bathroom. She wasn't going to tell you, but I thought you should know."

"Oh, yes of course, I'll make it rightaway."

(A/N) Yes, I'm sorry it isn't as long as the others. And yes, this incident will be important in the story, you'll see. I'm sorry if you think Edward or Jasper are tattle-tales and stuff, but they could be considered responsible guardians, and they just want what's best for Sadie.

Catty: Enough of your rambling! Write the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, fall, or cigarrettes.

SMOKING KILLS!

Sorry for that, just wanted to mention it.


	16. Wolf

Vanessa and her friends weren't at school the next day, or the next. They didn't go to school for the whole week.

Sadie had a vague suspicion that someone had reported them, and that was why they hadn't gone, but she had no idea who it could have been.

However, she was the only one who knew what had possibly happened to them. All week every student was trying to gain information on it, trying to discover what they'd done.

--------------

The next Monday, Vanessa and her friends returned. The friends looked rather ashamed, but Vanessa was seething. She knew who had told on her, and she was going to get her revenge.

--------------

When the final bell rang, Mark ran outside to start the car. Sadie stayed back, putting all her books away. The hallway was empty as she opened her locker.

Some steps were heard echoing throughout the empty hall. Sadie looked up from her locker and saw Vanessa walking towards her. Her face was so angry it was red. Sadie grew afraid of what she would do.

"You bitch!" Vanessa yelled at Sadie. "You told everyone! After you said you wouldn't! You're a bitch!"

Sadie backed away slightly, afraid of what more Vanessa would do.

Vanessa slapped Sadie across the face, "Bitch!"

Sadie slowly lifted her shaking hand to touch her red cheek.

"But I didn't tell anybody," she protested quietly.

Vanessa looked even madder than before.

"You lying whore!"

Vanessa back-handed Sadie across the face. Sadie felt not only the sting of the slap, but the feeling that something was digging into her skin.

As soon as Vanessa lowered her hand, Sadie noticed that Vanessa's large and sharp ring had cut her cheek. Vanessa noticed this too.

"Now look at what you did!" she yelled. "This ring was very special, and now you got your blood all over it!"

Vanessa looked at Sadie coldly, then walked away, holding her hand away from her body as if contaminated.

Sadie raised her hand to touch her right cheek. She looked at her hand, blood was dripping down it. Vanessa's ring had made a deep cut reaching from her cheekbone to the corner of her mouth. Sadie stuck her tongue out the left corner of her mouth and tasted blood.

A horn honked. Sadie jumped and stacked her books inside her locker quickly. She closed it and made sure her hair covered her cut as she ran outside.

Mark was waiting impatiently in the car. Sadie got in quickly, tossing her book-bag into the backseat.

"What took you so long?" Mark asked her.

"Nothing," Sadie said quietly. The tears she'd been trying to hold in ever since she was slapped were beginning to slip. A lone tear made its way into Sadie's cut. She hissed as the salt water touched the still-bleeding wound. She put her hand on top of her cheek.

Mark was sniffing loudly. He'd smelled something strange the minute Sadie stepped inside the car. He glanced at his friend. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she put a hand to her right cheek, the one turned to the window. Worried, Mark parked the car close to the woods.

He turned to look at Sadie. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

Sadie didn't say anything, but Mark noticed tears overrun her left eye. He watched as a drop slowly ran down her face. Sadie seemed to be hiding her right cheek. Mark slowly reached out and grasped Sadie's chin with his right hand. He firmly moved her head so he could see what she was hiding.

Sadie kept her hand on her cheek, knowing it was useless to hide it now, but she felt as if she had to.

Mark turned Sadie to face him. Without letting go of her chin, he used his left hand to pry away Sadie's hand from her cheek.

He gasped slightly as a large scratch was revealed. It was bleeding and seemed to be deep. Sadie had blood all over her hand as well.

"Who did this?" he asked angrily.

"It…it was an… accident," Sadie said haltingly.

"Have I ever told you you're a terrible liar? Now, tell me, who did it?"

Mark looked into Sadie's teary eyes. She blinked and sighed.

"Vanessa," she whispered.

Mark felt anger overwhelm him, and he opened the door to the car quickly. He got out and bent over, his hands on his knees. He breathed deeply, trying to fight the urge to transform.

"Mark?" Sadie asked worriedly. She got out of the car and went to stand next to him. "Are you alright?"

Mark growled as he began to feel the slight tremor of his limbs that indicated that transformation wasn't far away. He ran into the woods, trying to get as far away from Sadie as he could. Sadie was close behind.

As soon as Mark was far enough, he yelled in anger and gave in to the transformation. His clothes ripped apart as his body expanded.

In wolf form, he stood there for a while, trying to calm down.

Suddenly, he heard a leaf crunch under someone's foot. He turned around and saw Sadie staring at him. He watched her for a second, then ran off into the woods. He would have to go home and get some clothes. Then he would go back to Sadie and try to explain what had happened.

--------------

Sadie ran after her friend.

"Mark!" she yelled.

Sadie heard a yell. She ran faster. A loud ripping noise was heard. Frightened, Sadie ran toward the noise.

Suddenly, Sadie stopped. A few feet in front of her was a huge wolf. It was about the size of a horse, its fur was dark brown.

Sadie gasped in fright. The wolf seemed to sense her. It turned around and stared at Sadie with familiar eyes. Then, it turned and ran into the woods.

Sadie sat down heavily on the ground. She sat there for a long time, fearing to get up, yet terrified of lingering.

After a long debate, Sadie decided to leave. As she set her hand on the ground to help herself up, she felt something soft. Sadie picked it up. It was a small piece of red fabric. Sadie was sure she had seen it before.

Then she remembered, Mark had been wearing a shirt with that red pattern today.

Sadie came to the conclusion that Mark had been attacked by the wolf, which explained the yell and the piece of fabric.

She ran to the car. Sadie opened the backdoor and reached for her book-bag. After a short while of searching, Sadie took out a small, silver phone. With shaking fingers she dialed Carlisle's number. The phone on the other end rang twice before he answered.

"Hello?" Carlisle asked.

"Carlisle! It's Sadie!"

"Sadie? What's wrong?"

"It's Mark! He's been attacked by an enormous wolf! We have to help him!"

"Where are you Sadie?"

"Just a few miles away from your house."

"I'll be right there."

(A/N) Oh! Very interesting! I'm quite grateful to get this chapter out of my system, it's been bugging me for a few days. Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!

Catty: Before you leave, aren't you forgetting something?

Me: Oh, right.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!


	17. Suspicion

Carlisle took only five minutes in arriving, but to Sadie, it felt like five days.

As soon as he exited his car he looked around with a professional air. He sniffed slightly, then turned to Sadie.

"You're hurt," he stated simply. He walked over to Sadie.

"I'm fine, it's Mark who needs help," Sadie protested.

Carlisle paid no attention to Sadie protests. He took Sadie's face into his long, cold fingers, and looked at the cut.

Sadie shivered slightly at the touch of Carlisle's cold fingers, but she let him examine her scratch.

Carlisle let go of Sadie's face and walked back to his car. He took a small bag out of the front seat. He walked to Sadie and put the bag on the ground next to her. He took a small bottle and a piece of cotton out of it, then slowly began to clean the wound.

Sadie hissed as the alcohol in the cotton touched her cut. She tried to think of something else as Carlisle expertly cleaned the cut and put a bandage on her injured cheek.

Carlisle closed the bag and looked at Sadie.

"There," he said.

Sadie began to head towards the woods.

"We have to find Mark," she said over her shoulder, "he might need help!"

Carlisle reached out and held Sadie's shoulder firmly.

"You are not going anywhere."

"Why not?"

"Because you're hurt, and you do not know these woods. We will go back to the house and I will send my sons to look for him."

Sadie protested as Carlisle led her to the car. He closed the door behind her as she entered the passenger seat. From there she watched as the doctor went to Mark's car, took her book-bag from the backseat, and then put it into his own car.

Carlisle got into his car and drove back to his house.

--------------

As soon as the car was parked, Sadie ran out of the car and headed towards the house. She was stopped by a cold hand.

Carlisle noticed Sadie beginning to run into the house. He ran after her then held her arm.

"_Edward!_" he shouted mentally. "_Get everyone outside! Sadie's going in and she has fresh blood on her._"

Carlisle waited a few short seconds to make sure that his family had left the house, then let go of Sadie.

Sadie continued into the house, looking at Carlisle curiously.

As soon as she got inside, she stopped. The house, which usually had at least one person bustling around, was eerily empty.

Carlisle followed her inside.

"Sadie," he said, "would you mind waiting in your room? I'm sure you have a lot of homework to do."

Sadie opened her mouth to argue, but she looked into Carlisle's eyes, and she knew it would be futile to refuse. She closed her mouth and made her way upstairs.

Carlisle entered the living room and concentrated.

"_It's safe now, Edward, she's gone upstairs._"

A few seconds later, the whole family was inside the living room.

Jasper smelled a faint, metallic smell and gritted his teeth.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Apparently, Mark lost his temper and ran off into the woods. I have no idea why he grew so angry, but I suspect that it's because of a large scratch on Sadie's cheek."

A knock on the door interrupted the thoughtful silence that had followed Carlisle's words. Esme went to open the front door.

"Hello," Mark said.

Esme smiled warmly, and let Mark inside.

"Where's Sadie?" he asked.

"She's upstairs," Esme answered.

Mark made his way upstairs, leaving the vampires to talk among themselves.

Mark opened Sadie's door, and stepped inside.

Startled, Sadie looked up and saw him. She ran to him and hugged him fiercely, burrowing her face into his chest.

"Don't you scare me like that again," she said, the anger in her voice muffled by Mark's shirt.

Mark stroked her hair softly until Sadie was done.

Sadie stepped away from Mark and turned to look up at him.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"I just got so angry when you told me that Vanessa had scratched you, so I ran off. I ripped my shirt on a branch, so I changed into another one."

Sadie looked at Mark's clothes.

"How come you changed all your clothes?"

"Oh, the new shirt didn't match the old pants," Mark said teasingly.

Sadie laughed and the pair began to study, like they usually did in the afternoons. Even with Mark acting so normally beside her, Sadie couldn't help but feel a small suspicion blossom in her mind.

(A/N) Well, I hope you liked that! Oh, and I'd like to thank 2WordsEdwardCullen for reviewing. And I also have some bad news (well, for you, but not for me). I will not update for about three weeks because I'm going on vacation and I do not have a laptop or any other means of access to the internet or to Microsoft Word. So, I'm sorry, but this is the last chapter I'll write in quite a while.

Catty: Stop talking and write the disclaimer already!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight!


	18. Snow

The moment Sadie woke up, she knew something was different. She didn't know what, exactly, but she had a strange feeling that something had changed during the night.

Trying to figure out what it could be, Sadie showered and began to dress.

And that was when she realized, the persistent sound of raindrops on the roof had died.

Sadie rushed to her room's window and looked outside, gasping in wonder. Instead of the usual cloudy day and large puddles, everything was covered in a thin layer of snow.

As Sadie watched snowflakes slowly drift to the white ground, her memory was transported back to the countless Christmas movies she had watched with her sister growing up. She wished Sarah could be watching this with her now.

Sadie leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the window as she allowed her mind to wander.

She was brought back violently by a voice that called her from downstairs.

"Sadie!" Alice called. "Breakfast!"

A growl from Sadie's stomach answered the call below, and Sadie began to hop down the steps and into the downstairs hallway, trying not to let homesickness consume her.

--------------

Alice was mixing some eggs in a bowl. She was mixing them as fast as she could, to make them as fluffy as possible. She always wanted to make the best food for her guest, not only to try to make her feel more at home, but to prove to everyone that her skills were not only in the fashion department.

Alice listened as Sadie went down the stairs, and sighed slightly. Usually, Alice could tell how Sadie felt by how she came downstairs in the morning, and today's overly exaggerated hopping meant that Sadie was feeling slightly homesick.

Alice wished she could do something more for the lonely girl, but she knew right now it was out of her hands. Maybe later, when she'd made better friends with Sadie, but for now, Mark was the only way to make her feel better.

As soon as Alice heard Sadie on the last step, her egg-beating slowed to a more human pace.

Sadie smiled as she entered the kitchen, trying to make it seem as normal as possible. But Alice's unnaturally sharp eyes could tell she was upset.

Resolving to tell Mark about Sadie, Alice began to pour the eggs into a pan.

And that was when it hit her. The vision overwhelmed all of Alice's other senses, as usual.

Alice was now standing in the middle of the snow-covered forest. She could hear quick footsteps approaching. In the distance, between the trees, she could make out her home.

A figure burst into Alice's sight, a tall man. His shiny dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, his skin shone porcelain-white, and his eyes gleamed crimson red. As he turned to look at the house, his eyes shone, and he began to furtively creep towards the vampire home.

Alice turned around as a howl was heard, and her vision went dark.

The werewolves had intervened.

--------------

Sadie was watching Alice pour the eggs into a pan, when all of a sudden, Alice stiffened. The bowl fell from her frozen fingers to the white floor.

Sadie stood, surprised. She had never seen a member of the Cullen family ever drop anything. They always seemed so careful when they handled stuff, it was always in perfect condition.

Sadie began to feel concerned for Alice, who hadn't moved for some time.

"Alice?" she called tentatively. "Alice, what's wrong?"

Alice still didn't move, it didn't even look like she was breathing.

Growing frightened, Sadie ran out of the kitchen to look for the father of the house.

"Carlisle!" she called desperately as she ran up the stairs.

--------------

Carlisle was sitting in his study, looking over some medical papers when he heard a crash downstairs.

Chuckling slightly to himself, he thought of how Sadie could be so clumsy sometimes, but then again, all humans were rather clumsy.

However, after a short while he heard Sadie's voice calling Alice's name and asking her what was wrong.

Deciding that something must be amiss, he slowly got up from his desk.

Pounding feet were heard on the stairs, and Sadie's desperate voice filled the air.

"Carlisle!"

Carlisle ran to the door and stood there until Sadie reached him, even in emergencies, appearances must be kept.

Sadie's face looked afraid and worried.

"It's Alice," she said, "she's standing frozen in the kitchen, nothing I did would wake her."

Carlisle immediately grasped Sadie's shoulder and they both walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

To Sadie's surprise, Alice was on her knees, cleaning the floor. As soon as the pair entered, Alice looked up.

"Oh! Good morning, Carlisle," she said brightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Sadie got worried when you wouldn't move, and she called me."

Alice turned to look at Sadie, "I'm sorry for frightening you like that. It's just that I only just remembered, today's the last day of the half-off sale and I haven't bought anything yet."

Sadie nodded suspiciously as she sat in her seat at the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry for distracting you, Carlisle," she said.

"It's quite all right," Carlisle answered, catching the meaningful look his daughter was giving him.

--------------

Alice led her father into the hall, well away from Sadie's hearing.

"I had a vision," she said quietly.

"What did you see?"

"A vampire is headed this way."

"The Volturi?"

"No, a loner. He's probably just looking for a meal or something."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know, the dogs intervened, and I couldn't see anything anymore."

"Did you see Sadie?"

"No, but since she's with Mark all the time that's not surprising."

"We have to get her out of here, for her own safety. Alice, you will go with her, along with Mark and Esme."

"All right, Carlisle."

"Now just to get her out of here without making her suspicious."

"I think I know how to do that."

(A/N) Hello! I'm back from my trip to Mars! And in case you're wondering, it was very chilly, and I have the cold to prove it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chappie, and I hope you're not too annoyed with me for not updating in about a month, but I'm back now, and updating as soon as possible, kay?

Catty: For the hundredth time, do not forget to post the disclaimer. You really should start working on your memory skills.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or snow.


	19. Escape

"Merry Christmas, Sadie!" Alice exclaimed when Sadie entered the room.

Sadie looked around, confused. Mark bumped into her back when she stopped suddenly.

"Whoa, why'd you st-" Mark stopped as he saw the entire Cullen family gathered inside the living room.

"Huh?" Sadie asked.

"Merry Christmas!" Alice repeated.

"But Christmas isn't for another three weeks," Sadie reminded the overactive vampire. She wondered if it was tradition to celebrate the entire month of December instead of just the 25th.

"I know, but we've got you a Christmas present!" Alice answered excitedly.

"Aw, thanks, but I didn't get you anything."

"Never mind about that, just open it!"

"Um, ok…" Sadie took the envelope Alice waved excitedly in front of her face and opened it carefully.

Inside was a note:

_You, Mark, Esme and I are going on a three-week shopping trip to Seattle! Don't you dare argue, you're in desperate need of clothes._

_Love, Alice_

Mark read the note over Sadie's shoulder and grimaced.

"Why do I have to go?" he complained.

Alice just looked at him with narrowed eyes, and his whining ceased. Mark would have never admitted it, but Alice sometimes scared him.

"What about school?" Sadie asked.

"It's all been taken care of," Carlisle answered. "I spoke with your principal this morning, and you have permission to go."

"And my mom?" Mark asked.

"I've also talked to her. She says to tell you to have a good time."

"Great, even my mom is in on this," Mark grumbled to himself.

--------------

"Why are we really leaving?" Mark asked Alice as soon as Sadie had gone upstairs to grab a few things.

"I had a vision," Alice hissed.

"About what? The Vol-whatsits?"

"I'm not sure. There was a vampire, but-"

"Did he attack Sadie?"

"No, I didn't see that, your herd got in the way."

"Excuse me, we are wolves, not cows. It's called a pack."

"Well, whatever. I couldn't see."

"So this is just a precaution?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Do I really have to go?"

"Yes you do, so stop whining and be a man."

"Hey! I am a man!"

"Fine, just stop whining then."

"But wouldn't staying help more than running off to Seattle?"

"No. You're the only one that Sadie trusts completely, so you're going."

"Are we really just shopping for three whole weeks?"

"Yes."

"How much stuff are you planning on buying?"

"Oh, that's for me to know and for you to find out," Alice said evilly as Mark backed slowly away, a rather frightened look on his face.

--------------

Sadie packed a few books into another of her ridiculously expensive book-bags and ran downstairs. She knew that Alice was impatient to leave, and she was slightly afraid of what Alice would do if she took too long.

"Sadie! Hurry up!" Alice called.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sadie exclaimed as she began to run out the front door. A familiar hand stopped her. Sadie turned and looked into Carlisle's dark eyes.

"Be careful," he said quietly.

Sadie nodded, and ran over to the car a few feet away.

Alice honked the horn impatiently as Mark helped Sadie throw her bag into the trunk of the car.

"Finally!" Alice said, when all the passengers were seated. "Seattle! Here we come!"

--------------

Alice had only allowed them to bring one bag each, filled with one change of clothes and a toothbrush. She said that was all they needed, for now.

Sadie had actually snuck some books into hers, hoping she would have time to read them during the shopping-breaks they took. However, as she watched Alice's enthusiasm now, she really doubted she would have time to even open one of the books to the first page.

Turning from Alice, and tuning out her persistent chatter about what stores they would visit, Sadie turned to the window and watched the trees flash by. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was some other reason for taking a three-week shopping trip, even if Alice really was capable of arranging that.

Sadie gradually became drowsier, until she fell asleep, her head leaning against the window.

--------------

Mark noticed his best friend fall asleep, and he slowly moved her so she was resting her head against his lap instead of bumping against the window. He really didn't want to go shopping, but he'd do anything to protect the girl beside him. He hadn't known it in the beginning, when he'd just entered her room, but they were born to be friends. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and Mark could feel a certain lift in his heart every time he saw her. He suspected he was beginning to like her more than just a friend, but every time his suspicions would overwhelm him, he forced them down, telling himself that he would imprint someday, and what was the use of falling for a girl who might not even live to the next day? Mark also knew, deep in his soul, that Sadie might not last long in the world of mortals, not with the entire Volturi army after her. He knew that there would come a time when he would lose her, but he certainly hoped he would get her back. For better or for worse, he loved Sadie more than he let himself admit.

--------------

Esme watched the pair in the backseat with concern. She had known they would become friends, yet she hadn't known they would grow so close, and for some reason that worried her. She didn't know what would happen to the pair, but she had a bad feeling.

--------------

Alice sat, apparently oblivious to all that was happening around her. She chatted about all the stores they would just HAVE to visit, and all the things they would HAVE to buy. While she talked, however, her mind wandered to what would happen to the rest of the Cullens. Would Alice return three weeks later to find a barren wasteland in the place of their home?

Alice's better judgment assured her that it would be impossible for one vampire to overcome six powerful vampires and a large pack of werewolves, but still she worried.

(A/N) Woo! Another chapter posted! Do you love me or what? Well, maybe you don't, but I hope you do. Anywho, I hope you like it. Oh! And before I forget, I shall post the disclaimer. (Haha Catty! I remembered!)

Diclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or a car, sadly. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction instead of best-selling novels, or cruising around the neighborhood in a brand new CAR!


	20. Shopping

"I really don't think I need a fur coat, Alice," Sadie complained as she stood upon a slightly raised bit of floor before some mirrors.

Alice, who was busy talking with Esme about how lovely Sadie looked, pretended not to hear her.

Sadie, becoming slightly desperate, turned to look at her best friend.

Mark was currently standing in the corner, trying not to laugh as coat upon coat was forced upon Sadie, and as her face gradually became more and more desperate.

"Mark," Sadie mouthed, "help me!"

Mark read Sadie's lips, then looked at Alice, and shook his head forcefully. Even if Alice was tiny, when angry she was a force to be reckoned with, and Mark did not want her becoming upset.

Sadie's face became even more desperate than before. She hated fur coats, and she used to make several points about it back in Mexico. She participated in every anti-fur campaign there was, and even sometimes spray-painted the outsides of fur stores, of course, the latter she had done on a dare. But she still hated furs passionately, and used to tell her mother of all the cruel things skinners did to the animals before using them for coats. Her mother had grown so nauseous by Sadie's persistent descriptions that she had taken to going to fur stores only with her younger daughter in tow.

Mark chuckled inwardly, watching Sadie's growing discomfort. Not only was it hot inside the store, but he suspected that she had something against furs but was too shy to inform Alice.

"Alice!" Sadie called.

"Yes?" Alice answered sweetly.

"Um, I'd rather not have a fur coat?"

"Nonsense! Every woman loves to have one for special occasions! Besides, you'd have a lot of use for it. It's usually so chilly in the winter back home."

"I'd rather wear a jacket. Please, Alice, I don't-"

Sadie was interrupted by Mark crossing the room and whispering into Alice's ear.

"I think that Sadie is against furs, Alice."

Alice's mouth opened into an "O" of surprise before she turned back to Sadie.

"Oh, all right then. You may take the coat off; we're going to another store."

Sadie complied gratefully, mouthing a "Thank you" to Mark as she did so.

--------------

About four hours and twenty-nine stores later, Mark and Sadie were reclining in armchairs in Sadie's suite, watching TV.

Sadie was wearing some clothes she had thrown together from the many shopping bags she'd gained. She kept refusing to let Alice buy her so many things, yet Alice always chose to ignore her. Now, Sadie was wearing some Michael Kors ivory pants, a Gucci long sleeved blue turtleneck sweater, some Prada black boots, and was carrying a Louis Vuitton black denim shoulder bag, all of which cost a grand total of over $5,000. Mark was wearing his usual sort of clothes, he had completely refused Alice's imploring of letting her buy him something nicer, and had threatened to return to Forks if she kept pushing him.

Mark kept flicking through the channels distractedly; there really was nothing on the TV at that moment. Sadie quietly watched the few seconds she got of every show while she waited patiently for Mark to find something interesting.

After going through all the channels twice, Sadie held out her hand.

"Here, I'll do it."

"Why?"

"Because you still haven't found anything."

"So? What makes you think you're going to find something?"

"Because I'm rather smart."

Mark reluctantly handed Sadie the remote. He watched as Sadie pressed a few apparently random buttons on it, then turned back to the TV. He realized Sadie had just rented them a movie: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

"Hey! How'd you do that?" Mark asked confusedly. He'd tried a hundred things to rent movies, yet he'd never really managed it.

"Well, I just read the instructions," Sadie said, throwing them over at Mark. It didn't really work, however, and the instructions simply floated to the floor.

After a while of watching Logan single-handedly battle against multiple villains, Sadie turned back to Mark. Something had been weighing on her mind ever since the beginning of the three-week shopping spree.

"Mark?" she said.

Mark hummed distractedly while he wondered what would happen if he learned to fight like that with his supernatural strength.

"How am I going to pay them back?"

"Huh? Pay who back?"

"The Cullens, of course."

Mark turned to look as Sadie.

"For what?"

"Well, they've been so nice to me, and now Alice is buying me everything she can, and I don't have a job or anything, and how am I even supposed to get them Christmas presents?"

"Whoa, whoa, Sadie, slow down. I don't think they want to be paid back."

"But I feel so wrong, taking their money."

"But you're not taking their money."

"No, but they're using a lot of money on me. Yeah, I know that a lot of it is paid by the government and everything, but for stuff this expensive?"

"Wait, the governme-" Mark began to ask, confused, then stopped as soon as he remembered that Sadie had been told she was part of a sort of witness-protection-program.

Sadie looked at Mark strangely, wondering why he'd seemed to forget who he worked for all of a sudden. Her suspicions grew once more.

"Mark, why are we here?"

"To shop and stuff, of course."

"No, seriously."

Mark turned to look at Sadie when he heard how solemn her voice had become.

"I can take it, Mark," Sadie softly pleaded.

Mark sighed, knowing that he would pay for this later.

"We think a person who's looking for you might be in Forks."

"So, you brought me here to get me away?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Why? I thought I had about a hundred bodyguards."

"You do, but just in case-"

"What sort of person can take out a hundred highly trained bodyguards?"

Mark remained silent as his gaze turned back to the screen.

Sadie realized her friend wouldn't talk anymore, so she quieted and watched the end of the movie.

(A/N) Yeah, I know that this chapter isn't so good, but it was the best I could come up with for their little shopping trip. Don't worry though, a lot of action will be coming in the future chapters, you can definitely count on that. And, yes, I actually personally researched every article of clothing that Sadie was wearing at the time. Of course, I had a friend's help on that, since clothing really isn't one of my best subjects. She even had to correct me twice on the spelling of some designer (who knew Kors was spelled with a K, and that Gucci had no h?), but, anyway, I hope I've gotten you slightly excited about the future chapters, I know they'll be great.

Catty: Stop blabbing already and type the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Michael Kors, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, or "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

By the way, did anybody see that movie? Personally, I thought it was great.


	21. Secrets

"I could smell human around their house. I'm pretty sure that's where she is."

"Are you completely sure?" Demetri asked the cowering vampire.

"Yes! I'm sure, I'm sure!"

"Well then, I shall have to pay a short visit to the Cullens."

--------------

Already a whole month had passed ever since the threat of being discovered. Everyone went through their days as usual, yet Alice always kept a wary eye on the future.

However, since there had been nothing to suggest any sort of danger, nobody thought it unsafe when Mark and Sadie decided to go out on a walk in the woods. Of course, there was a slight chance a vampire would appear, but the Cullens were confident that Mark could probably handle the situation, and if not, they were close enough to help him carry out the deed.

--------------

Mark and Sadie dressed warmly for the cold outside. They weren't sure what they would do, but they were tired of staying indoors at all times.

Once they were done, they stepped into the cold outside. A chilly breeze went by, ruffling Mark's hair and tangling Sadie's. They walked a short way into the forest, just looking at the cold, dead trees.

"This is so depressing," Sadie stated.

"Yeah, but it's better than being inside."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They walked a while longer, trekking even deeper into the woods.

They had stopped feeling the cold as warmth was produced by their moving bodies, and soon they began to talk again. They recounted things that had happened at school, what had happened with Mark's friends, and they talked about the Cullens.

"Alice keeps insisting that I wear all the really expensive stuff."

"Just tell her no."

"I do, but she never listens."

"Have you tried talking to someone else?"

"Yeah, Bella has the same taste I do, but she's not over there often enough to help out. By the way, what keeps her and Edward away all the time? Why don't they live in Carlisle's house like everyone else?"

"Um, I don't know."

"You're lying."

"How can you tell?"

"I've known you for a while now."

"Yeah, but not that long."

"Mark."

"Ok, ok. Maybe I do know, but I'm not at liberty to discuss that at the moment."

"Which means you're sworn to secrecy."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Urgh. I'm getting so annoyed about how everyone keeps secrets from me."

"Aw, come on! It's not like we keep so many from you."

"Uh huh, yeah right. One big secret, how come there's people after me in the first place? It makes no sense; I never did anything to anybody, nor did I see something I wasn't supposed to."

"I really can't say why-"

"And why do the Cullens never eat anything?"

"Sadie, I-"

"Where are you when you're not at school?"

"I'm-"

"Can you answer all those questions?"

"Well, no."

"I knew it."

"Sorry."

"It's all right; I'm just getting a bit annoyed by everything."

"Well, I know something that can help with that."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Roasting marshmallows."

"Oh, you're right. That might help, at least for a while."

"Ok, so you'll agree to stop harassing me if we hang out for a while and roast marshmallows and stuff?"

"Maybe just for a while."

They turned to go back to the Cullens large house, when the wind shifted, suddenly blowing the opposite way.

Sadie ignored the wind.

"Come on, Mark!" she called.

--------------

Mark stood stiffly, his nostrils flaring slightly as he sniffed the wind. He knew that smell, he could recognize it anywhere, and its meaning raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

"_Vampire_"

Mark knew he didn't have a lot of time, he had to get Sadie out of there as fast as possible, but the vampire was so close. Mark knew that even if he carried Sadie, the bloodsucker would catch up to them in a few seconds.

So he did the only thing he could. He called upon his wolfish nature, letting it overpower him.

"Mark, let's g-"

Sadie stopped as she turned around and saw Mark.

--------------

Sadie had never seen anything like this before. Her best friend's body was slowly expanding; hair was coming out of every pore of his body. His clothing began to rip at the seams as Mark's arms got longer and his legs got shorter. He fell to the ground on all fours. Sadie, horrified, watched Mark's face as the nose began to elongate, the chin to grow smaller. His eyes became more separate as his ears grew longer.

Finally, bursting out of his clothes, Mark turned his head up to the sky and howled.

A large wolf now stood before Sadie.

An urge to scream overpowered her as she stumbled back a bit before tripping on a root and falling to the ground.

The wolf watched her for a second, then turned to his other side, growling at something in the shadows.

(A/N) Oooooooo! Well, here's another chapter for all of you guys, just because I love ya. See? I told you there'd be some action soon, and there is a little here. Now you just have to wait for the future chapters for more. Wow, this story is really going crazy, it's like it's writing itself now.

Catty: Just shut up and write the disclaimer!

Me: I am totally getting annoyed at you. If you weren't my muse and inspiration and all that I'd kick you out of my room.

Catty: But you can't, because I'm just a figment of your imagination. Now write the stupid disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


	22. Truth

Sadie stared into the shadows, dreading what she would see.

Two red eyes appeared. In the dark, they reminded Sadie of a horror movie. Slowly, the rest of the figure appeared.

It was a man, that much Sadie could tell. He was hooded and cloaked, yet the bit Sadie saw, was enough to help her determine that this was no ordinary person. The man, instead of walking erect, crouched along the ground, bringing to mind a lion stalking a gazelle. His crimson eyes glowed from the dark under his hood.

The wolf growled louder, the sound reverberated in Sadie's ears. She trembled as the man and the wolf faced each other.

"I believe you have something that is of interest to me," the man said softly.

In answer, the wolf snarled, showing most of his teeth. He seemed to be challenging the man to take whatever the thing was.

"Just give her to me, and neither of us will get hurt," the man motioned towards Sadie, and the wolf snapped at the outstretched arm.

The man's mouth opened slightly, showing shiny white teeth. He growled slightly.

Sadie shivered violently at the sound. It wasn't like anything she had heard before. It was coming out of the mouth of a person, but it wasn't human.

The man prepared to leap onto the wolf's back, when suddenly a rushing sound was heard.

Sadie blinked at the wind and opened her eyes. The whole Cullen family was standing between the man and her. Every member of it was growling savagely.

Sadie began to crawl backwards. Her hand landed on a twig and she hissed as the small stick entered her skin.

--------------

One of the Cullens turned around at the sound. Esme looked at Sadie with her golden-brown eyes, and approached her. She picked the girl up, and looked behind her. The family was preparing to fight against the lone vampire.

Carlisle looked behind him, towards his wife. His face seemed to be telling her to run, to save them all.

Esme ran at full speed back to the house.

--------------

Sadie felt the sudden rush of speed and gasped. It was impossible for a person to travel that quickly. The trees flashed by, wind blew strongly into Sadie's face.

Frightened, Sadie held on tightly to Esme's cold and hard arms.

The terror got too much to bear, and it overwhelmed her. Sadie gasped once more, and fainted.

--------------

Esme arrived at her house safely, holding the unconscious girl in her arms.

Esme sighed as she watched Sadie. It was too much for this innocent girl to handle, it wasn't fair to drag her into a world that wasn't her own.

Esme went into the house and lay Sadie down on a sofa. She went upstairs quickly for a blanket and then placed it on top of the girl.

She sat in a couch close to Sadie's figure, and closed her eyes to listen better.

--------------

Back in the woods, the Cullen family prepared to attack the vampire. Mark, in his wolf form, growled violently.

"Why do you insist on protecting such a weak and useless human?" Demetri asked them, his voice slippery. "Just give her up, and we'll leave you alone."

Mark barked at him, as if saying that they would never give Sadie up.

"You know why," Carlisle answered the vampire.

"You're just wasting your time. You know that the Volturi always get what they want, no matter what it is."

"Well, they didn't get me two years ago, and they're not getting Sadie now!" Bella declared rashly.

Anger twisted across Demetri's perfect features. He began to slowly slink into the shadows.

"I'll be back, and with some help. We'll get the girl, you can count on that."

Demetri turned and ran. Mark, Jasper and Emmett took off after him. Carlisle, Bella, Edward, Rosalie, and Alice went to their home, wondering what to do next.

--------------

Esme sighed gratefully as she heard the footsteps of her family approach. She went to open the door.

"Did you get him?" she asked. Esme was not a violent person, and it sickened her to kill anyone, but she knew that if Demetri was free, none of them would be safe.

"Emmett, Jasper and Mark went after him," Carlisle answered.

"Uh oh," Alice said, "Sadie will wake up in precisely fifty seconds."

"What are we going to tell her?" Bella asked.

Carlisle sighed, "The truth."

Edward nodded, "There's no other way to explain it all to her, she's seen too much, and she has to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Bella asked.

Edward looked at his wife sadly. "Bella, it is very probable that Sadie might not survive a vampire war over her. And if she does, she won't make it human."

"You mean… Are we going to turn her?"

"No!" Carlisle said. "We will not take her freedom of choice away. Besides, the same risks still exist, only magnified since the Volturi and close by."

"Um, guys?" Alice interrupted. "Not to disturb you or anything, but Sadie's waking up."

A moan was heard in the living room, and the vampires looked at each other before entering the room. It was time for the truth.

(A/N) Yay! Another chappie! Sorry it took me a while to update, but I've been really busy. I took time off watching to game to write this. Soccer, Mexico vs. USA. Mexico won, 5-0!!!!!!! WOOOOO!!! I'm pretty hoarse from all the yelling in triumph. I'm sorry to all those who didn't like Mexico's victory, but I've got Mexican blood, so I can't help feeling really excited!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

PS: Yay Mexico!!!!!


	23. Explanation

Sadie opened her eyes and found herself in the Cullens' living room. She seemed to be alone.

She sat up, and Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Edward, Bella, and Rosalie entered the room.

Sadie smiled at them, and then remembered what had just happened. Her face became confused as she thought about the situation in the forest.

--------------

Bella watched Sadie's face carefully. She had seemed happy at first, but then her face had clouded over.

Bella hoped it wouldn't be difficult for her to understand everything they were about to tell her, but having been a human herself not long ago, she knew the possibility of that was very small.

The sound of someone inhaling caused her to look at Carlisle, who was about to tell the girl the truth.

--------------

Sadie looked at the family. Their faces were a complete mixture of emotions. Some looked grim, others calm, and yet others worried.

Carlisle walked over and sat down on the couch next to her.

Sadie turned to him, the head of the family.

"What happened?" she asked.

--------------

Esme sighed as Sadie asked the one vital question. This would be too much for her, such a young woman, so innocent. But there was no way out of it, they had to tell her, for all their sakes.

--------------

Sadie watched as the family's faces all changed expression with that single question. She turned to Carlisle for an explanation.

"You fainted, Sadie," he said.

With those words, memories flooded back into Sadie's head. Her best friend had turned into a wolf. The family had appeared out of nowhere. There was a strange man with red eyes. Esme had taken her back to the house with a speed that was impossible to reach.

"Oh!" she said, and stood up.

Scared, she looked over at the entrance, which was blocked, her gaze headed to the window.

She was about to go there when Edward separated himself from the group and walked over into her possible escape path. He stood in the middle of Sadie and the window, looking serious.

"Sadie," Carlisle pleaded, "you have to hear us out."

Sadie sat back down warily.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Listen, Sadie, you're going to find this very hard to believe," Sadie looked at Carlisle, eyebrows raised. Everything she had just seen was hard to believe, and it was frightening.

"We're vampires!" Alice exclaimed.

Sadie was startled, whatever she had expected them to say, it certainly hadn't been that.

She took a deep breath.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Alice," she said.

"No, she was completely serious. We're vampires, Sadie," Esme broke in.

"But, but that's impossible!"

"Yes, I suppose it does seem that way."

"Vampires don't exist!"

"Come on, Sadie! Look at the facts!" Alice said. "We are all incredibly pale, we never go into the sunlight, we're super fast, super quiet, super strong, and if you don't mind me saying so, super good-looking."

Sadie looked at Alice, her expression impossible to determine. Yes, all that Alice had said was true, but that didn't mean they were vampires.

"If you really are vampires, how come you haven't drunk my blood?" she asked challengingly.

"We have been tempted, that's for sure," Rosalie muttered.

Sadie was surprised, Rosalie rarely spoke around her.

"We're vegetarians," Alice explained.

Sadie snorted in laughter. Now that was a crazy idea, a vampire who was vegetarian.

"We're completely serious."

"No, you're not."

"Yes we are, Sadie," Edward interrupted. "You know, deep inside, you know it's true."

Sure enough, a part of Sadie believed the family's claims completely.

"And what does that make Mark? A were-wolf?"

"Sort of."

Sadie had opened her mouth to answer when the family looked up. Carlisle stood up, and he and Edward made their way to the front door.

--------------

Just outside, Mark, now fully-clothed; Jasper and Emmett walked up to the porch.

As soon as they got to the door, it opened, and they went inside.

--------------

"What happened?" Carlisle asked them.

"The stupid vampire got away, he's really fast," Mark answered.

Carlisle cursed mentally; this was not a good thing. Demetri had gotten away, and was now probably telling the Volturi of what he had found.

"There's more," Jasper said.

"What more could there possibly be?"

"The Volturi army is here, they might arrive tomorrow. Carlisle, what are we going to do?"

"Fight them, of course," Emmett said, his hands shaping into fists.

"No, Emmett, even we cannot fight the entire Volturi army on our own," Carlisle said, his eyes closed deep in thought.

After a short while, his eyes opened again.

"I know what we must do. We must flee to Alaska."

(A/N) Um, heh heh, sorry? Yeah, I know I haven't updated in, like, ages, but I was kinda grounded. If you want to know why, let's just say it was a rather interesting situation concerning revenge, a lizard, and my sister's pillowcase. And then, when I was finally ungrounded, school began, and I had no time to write. And when I finally got a spare second, Catty decided to go on a vacation, and I didn't know what to write. And when I finally wrote, the stupid file refused to upload. So, those are my excuses. I'm really, terribly sorry. And now, I have to finish my report on Leon Trotsky (the russian dude), ok? I'm sorry! Don't kill me!


	24. Drive

A short while later, Sadie found herself in a horribly familiar situation. She was sitting in a car driving about three times the legal speed, sitting with a few vampires, not knowing what was going on, driving north.

There were only a few changes to the situation, one being that she was awake this time. Another, Mark was with her.

Edward and Bella were both sitting in the front seats of the car, holding hands as Edward drove one-handed, and Bella looked out the window.

In the back seat, Mark and Sadie were sitting, Mark nodding off occasionally. Sadie just stared at her best friend.

After a while, Mark turned to Sadie.

"Would you quit it?" he asked exasperated.

Sadie jerked out of her thoughts. "Quit what?" she answered.

"Glaring at me! It's driving me insane!"

"Oh, ok, I'll stop."

Five minutes later, Mark turned back to Sadie.

"Seriously! Stop it!"

"I did stop!"

"No you didn't!"

"Yeah, I'm not staring at you, am I?"

"But now you keep glancing at me, as if I'll spring any second!"

"Sorry! It's not my fault! I'm just…" Sadie's voice drifted off.

"Just what?"

"Well, overwhelmed! You can't just spring that kind of information on me and then expect me not to do anything, or feel anything!"

"I'm still just Mark, you know that?" Mark asked her quietly.

"No, that's the point! You're not just Mark anymore! Now you're Mark the were-wolf, the fantastic creature that's not supposed to exist!"

"I'm not a were-wolf! Well, not technically, anyway."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a shape-shifter."

"Oh, right, 'cause that's SO different from a were-wolf…"

"Yeah, it is!"

"Uh huh, like, how?"

"Well, we can't get killed by silver bullets, if that's what you're wondering."

"Wow, what a huge difference," Sadie commented sarcastically.

"And, I don't know if you noticed, but when I transformed there was no full moon. That's a pretty big difference, don't you agree?"

"I guess so," Sadie grudgingly admitted.

"You know so."

There was a short silence in the car, until Sadie spoke once more.

"I'm curious; did you ever want to tell me?"

"Yeah, of course I did, but I couldn't, not with you being-" Mark broke off in the middle of his sentence. "I mean, I wasn't allowed."

"With me being what?"

"Hmm, sorry?"

"You were going to say something else."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. You started saying I was something, and then you stopped."

"No, I don't think so."

"Come on, Mark. I know you," Sadie looked at Mark with pleading eyes. "I need to know, does all this supernatural stuff have something to do with me?"

A hiss came from the front seat. Edward turned to glare at Mark. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Mark growled at him.

"She has to know!"

"No, she doesn't. She's not ready to handle it."

"You don't know her!"

"You don't know her as well as you believe, Mark. I do."

Sadie stared at the pair of them. "Would you quit talking about me as if I'm not here and tell me already!"

Edward shook his head once more, and turned back to the steering wheel. Bella laid a cool hand on his shoulder, and whispered something to him. He seemed to tense for a moment, but then relaxed.

"All right," he said quietly, his words coming out of gritted teeth. "You can tell her."

Mark turned back to Sadie. "Sadie," he began, taking both of her hands, and holding them in his huge ones. "This is going to be very hard for you, but I need you to listen very carefully."

Sadie nodded seriously.

"Remember that we told you that we were protecting you?"

"Yeah," Sadie answered.

"Well, that's not entirely true."

Sadie's face remained impassive as she absorbed this new bit of information.

"You see, Sadie, some vampires have special powers."

"Really? Like what?"

"Alice can see the future, Edward can read minds, and Jasper can control emotions."

"Emotions? Well, that's sure not a power that I've ever heard of."

"Well, Jasper's got it, and it comes in handy occasionally."

"Who else has special powers?"

"Bella."

"Bella?"

"Yeah," Bella twisted around in her seat to look at the pair sitting behind her.

"What can you do?"

"I can block all mental powers."

"You mean like Jasper's?"

"No, I mean like Edward's."

"Cool! How can you do that? Can you teach me?"

Bella smiled, "No, sorry, I was born with it."

"Aw."

Bella turned back to face the front.

Mark continued, "Anyway, Carlisle has this theory that humans each have a special gift, and they bring it into their vampire selves, only stronger."

"Ok, I get it."

"So, when you were in Europe, earlier this year, another vampire sensed you."

"Sensed me?"

"Yeah, with his gift."

"Oh, ok."

"Anyway, he sensed you and figured out what power you would have, and he told the Volturi."

"What's the Volturi?"

"They're like the, um, kings of all vampires. Anyway, he told them, and they sent someone after you. But you didn't get caught because Alice saw you and we brought you here."

"Wait, so I have a power?"

"Yes, and apparently it's really huge."

"What do the king-people want me for?"

"To destroy our family," Edward said quietly.

Sadie's face went through many expressions as she assimilated the information. Mark waited patiently for her to say something else, but Bella interrupted the silence.

"We're here."

(A/N) Well, another chapter, just one week after the old one. Don't you feel special? I know I would. Do you forgive me for not posting? Probably not, but, anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Oh, and don't count on weekly updates, I'm kinda drowning under piles of homework, so, if I don't write, it's because of that. Anyway, R&R!


	25. Talk

Carlisle parked his car and exited. He smiled when he saw Eleazar, his old friend.

"Eleazar," he said, "how have you been?"

"All right, how about you? Did you find more about what the Volturi wanted?" Eleazar asked curiously.

"Actually, yes," Carlisle led his friend over to Edward's car, which was just arriving. One of the back doors opened, and Mark and Sadie came out, laughing.

As soon as Eleazar saw Sadie, he did a double take. He couldn't believe it, the girl had such an amazing power. No wonder the Volturi wanted her.

"Sadie, Mark, this is Eleazar. Eleazar, these are Sadie and Mark," Carlisle introduced them politely.

The rest of Eleazar's family came out into the snow, and Edward took over the presentations as Eleazar took Carlisle aside.

"Carlisle, do you know what that girl can do?"

"No, not exactly. All we know is that the Volturi want her, for some reason."

"I know what that reason is. That girl has one of the most amazing powers I've ever seen. It's strong even now, in her human form. If she was to be turned into a vampire she would be formidable indeed." Suddenly noticing Sadie watching them, Eleazar smiled. "Why don't we all go inside," he suggested, and herded both families indoors.

--------------

Once Sadie and Mark were sitting comfortably on a couch, with mugs of hot chocolate, Eleazar called a meeting with both vampire families outside.

"I know why the Volturi want this girl," he said.

"Sadie," Bella stated, "her name is Sadie."

"Yes, well, I know why the Volturi want her. Her power is amazing, I've never experienced anything like it ever before."

Edward gave Eleazar an alarmed look as he read his mind, finding out everything about Sadie's power.

Slightly impatiently, Emmett broke the short silence, "Um, hello? We can't all read minds like Edward, you have to tell us."

Eleazar nodded, "Excuse me, I'm sorry. Well, Sadie's power has a lot to do with energy. That must be why she likes the wolf so much."

"Because he's energetic?" Bella asked. "But, they're friends."

"I'm not saying they aren't, but this is also an important factor in their friendship, without them realizing it. And no, it's not because he's energetic, it's because he radiates energy in the form of heat. It sustains Sadie so much, she barely needs to eat or sleep, probably. It's fascinating really. She doesn't take to us as quickly since we mostly keep all our energy in. She can get to it, just not as easily."

"And that's what the Volturi want her for? To take energy? But, that doesn't make any sense, we have endless stores of energy, it wouldn't do anything if Sadie were to absorb it," Jasper interrupted.

"Actually, it would. Sadie's power is so great she could probably drain all our energies and use them for other things. She can project it in any way she wants. She would be able to cause fires, or tidal waves, practically anything she wanted."

"But still, that doesn't explain why they're so desperate to have her."

"Actually, it does. Not only can Sadie drain energy, she can drain powers as well."

"Wait, she can actually take our powers?" Jasper sounded horrified.

"Yes."

"Cool!" Emmett broke in. "It's like Rogue in X-Men!" After noticing the looks on everyone's faces, he shrugged. "What? It was the only thing on TV!"

"Basically, yes, it's like Rogue," Eleazar explained, "but much more powerful. She doesn't have to touch you to take your energy, and she can even absorb it from her surroundings. Unchecked, she could even destroy the world."

Edward growled as he heard a thought in Rosalie's head. "We're not killing her, Rosalie," he said threateningly.

"I agree," Carlisle put his hand on Edward's shoulder protectively. "We shall not harm her, as long as she doesn't harm us."

"But can't we teach her how to use her powers for the greater good?" Bella asked. "She's a sweet and sensible girl, I can't imagine her using them to hurt people."

"The problem is, we can't tell how her mind might react to the transformation," Eleazar argued.

"No, I meant before turning her, if we turn her at all. We should at least begin to teach her, just in case. She should know."

"Yes, she should," Carlisle agreed.

Eleazar sighed. "All right, I'll teach her, but if she ever destroys the world, it'll be on your heads."

(A/N) Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry I haven't updated this in ages, and I'm sorry this chapter is so short. Seriously, truly, deeply sorry. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy, and I want to thank my reviewers. I already answered most of you, but to those I didn't, I'll answer here.

Thanks so much to Destiny's Twists, here's your update, hope you're not too annoyed!

And 2WordsEdwardCullen, I don't think I've answered you yet, but thanks, and I hope you enjoy my chapter.

Anyways, read and review, please!


	26. Powers

Sadie and Mark were seated on the couch, sipping hot chocolate. There was a slightly awkward silence in the room.

"So," Sadie said, "where's everyone else?"

"The Cullens and the other vampire family are talking about something outside, and the rest of my pack arrives tomorrow."

"Oh, they're coming too?"

"Yeah, duh! We have to protect you, remember?"

"Oh, right, ok."

Another seemingly endless silence stretched between the two friends.

Finally, Sadie sighed. She set her mug on the table, and leaned closer to Mark, her head on his shoulder. She felt a lot better when she was near him, as her body absorbed his heat.

Mark, slightly surprised, leaned his head against hers.

"Mark," Sadie said quietly, "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of the Volturi, of what might happen."

"Nothing's going to happen to you."

"No, not what might happen to me, but what might happen to you." Sadie sat up, and stared into Mark's eyes, her own glistening on the edges. "I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," Mark answered, putting his arm around Sadie and pulling her closer to him. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy."

Despite herself, Sadie smiled slightly. "Why would I ever want to get rid of you?" she asked him.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I have something against girls who like action movies?"

Sadie giggled as she remembered the first time they watched a movie together. It seemed to be such a long time ago, like almost a lifetime.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Eleazar and Carlisle walked in.

"We have something important to tell you," Eleazar said.

--------------

A while later, Sadie was sitting, stunned. Mark's arm was still around her, but she could barely feel his presence.

"So, I can absorb powers?" she asked tentatively.

"And give them to others," Eleazar completed.

Sadie leaned back, still trying to assimilate all the information.

"We know it's a lot to take in," Carlisle said, "but it's important that we begin teaching you how to use your abilities."

"Why?"

"Because the more you know now, the less the chances of you losing control if you ever become one of us."

"One of you?"

"A vampire."

"Oh."

"But isn't this more of an overreaction?" Mark interrupted. "I mean, what are the chances that Sadie might not make it human?"

A look from Carlisle silenced the young were-wolf, and he glanced worriedly at his best friend.

"Ok," Sadie said, trying to decrease the tension in the room, "when do we start?"

"Right now."

--------------

"Concentrate, Sadie, concentrate," Eleazar urged the young girl as she tried to absorb some of Mark's energy.

Sadie didn't feel like she could take it anymore. She had tried and tried to suck in her friend's energy, as she had been instructed, but she didn't seem to be able to.

With an exasperated sigh, she lowered her head. "I can't do it."

"Yes you can, you just have to concentrate!" Eleazar answered.

With another sigh, Sadie tried again. She breathed in and out, staring at Mark, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, could you close your eyes?" he asked nervously. He hadn't minded being the one they experimented on, but Sadie's persistent glares were making him anxious.

Sadie did as Mark asked, and was suddenly aware that she was a lot more perceptive of her other senses. She concentrated on her sense of touch, which had felt the blare of Mark's heat a lot more than before.

She could hear Mark's even breaths, and if she listened closely, his heart beating against his chest.

Sadie shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts, and instead thought of Mark's warmth.

Almost unconsciously, her hands raised themselves, and got into a position about three millimeters from Mark's body.

As she inhaled and exhaled, Sadie imagined her body's energy current flowing through her in a bright yellow color, and she could picture Mark's as a vivid red.

She imagined her hands taking in Mark's energy slowly, until her yellow strands blended with the red, forming an orange color.

Mark gasped slightly, and Sadie opened her eyes.

"What?" she asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Mark said, "I just felt cold for a moment."

Sadie turned to Eleazar, and was surprised by the look of happiness on his face. Puzzled, she turned to Mark, who shrugged.

"You did it!" Eleazar said excitedly. "It was so amazing, I could almost feel it myself!"

"Really?" Sadie said, amazed. "That was it? I thought it was going to be a lot harder."

"That's it, that's it," Eleazar repeated.

Mark stood up and stretched. "Well, I'd love to stay some more, but I think I should transform and talk with the rest of my pack. They'd like to know what's been going on."

"Oh, yes, by all means," Eleazar agreed.

"Won't you be cold?" Sadie asked.

"Nah, Sadie. I'm a were-wolf, remember?"

"I thought you said you weren't."

"Ha-ha. No, seriously, I have some advantages against the snow." And with that, Mark left the room to go outside.

"Maybe now we can try something more difficult," Eleazar suggested.

"Ok," Sadie agreed. The whole situation indicated that there would be a battle soon, and Sadie wanted to help her side as much as she could, not only for herself, but for the entire vampire race.

--------------

Mark stepped into the bitter cold and smiled. He barely felt it now, unlike when he had been inside. He shivered slightly as he remembered the sudden drop in temperature in the room.

Mark took of his clothes and transformed. He began to run through the drifts and snowflakes.

He was worried about Sadie, but he would never tell her. She felt like she had an important role to play in the future war, but Mark knew that he would rather die than let her get close enough to even watch it.

He didn't exactly trust Sadie's power. Truth to be told, it rather freaked him out. Now, whenever he imagined Sadie's abilities, he imagined a huge, swirling vortex absorbing all the energy and powers it could. It was scary to imagine that such an innocent looking girl could hold such deadly potential.

Mark felt the threads that connected him to the rest of his pack.

_Hello Mark,_ Jacob said through their united conscience.

_Jacob,_ Mark nodded mentally.

_So, how's it going?_

_The vampires are training Sadie to use her powers._

_Whoa, seriously?_

_Yeah, they think that if she knows how to use them, she won't go berserk when she's turned._ Mark's mental voice sounded reluctant as he thought this. He wanted Sadie to remain human forever, he liked her that way. He couldn't imagine her as a vampire. How would they hang out?

_How soon will you guys get here?_ Mark asked, quickly changing the subject.

Jacob, knowing that Mark would rather not talk about what he was going through, answered him, _In a couple of hours, and we'll be ready for the battle. _Jacob growled a mental challenge at the vampires who had threatened his true love's family for too many times.

Hearing Jacob's reply, Mark cut off their conversation and transformed back into himself. He pulled his clothes on, and headed back to the house.

No matter what happened, he had to protect Sadie.

(A/N) Yay! Another chapter! Aren't you guys all happy? Ok, I didn't like the last chapter, so I wrote this one to make it up to you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Catty - You forgot to write the disclaimer again.

Oh, how silly of me! Why do I always forget?

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, X-Men (mentioned in last chapter), Alaska, etc.


	27. Sunrise

Bella and Edward stood on a slightly raised mountain of ice, close together. They weren't touching each other, but the electricity between both of them was tangible as they stared into the depths of the woods. Bella turned her eyes to her husband. Almost as if sensing her look, Edward turned to gaze into her eyes passionately.

"Edward," Bella said, "I feel cold."

Edward frowned as he hugged her. "You can't feel cold anymore," he murmured to her. "You're a vampire."

"It's a different kind of cold," Bella protested. "It's the feeling that we won't survive."

"What makes you think we won't survive?"

"The whole Volturi army is coming, and we're so few…"

"But we have you, Bella."

Edward's soothing voice had always been able to calm Bella down in the past, but she was beyond this now. Her terror threatened to overwhelm her as she clung to her love.

Edward gently stroked Bella's hair, gazing into the forest over her head as he did so.

The wolves should be arriving shortly, but Edward still couldn't hear their thoughts in his head. His usually calm manner was beginning to tense.

Finally, a voice inside Edward's head caused him to let go of Bella hurriedly, and greet the wolves that were rapidly approaching.

The thundering of paws, undetectable to human ears, but clear to vampires, was heard as the pack made its way even closer.

Edward waved slightly at the now-visible wolves, but didn't move his feet. It was clear that he had no intention of leaving his spot.

The lead wolf, Jacob, barked at Edward's gesture, and continued on his way, his pack following close behind him.

It was obvious by Jacob's attitude that he wanted to see Renesmee, and Edward grinned slightly at Jacob's thoughts. The wolf's carefree manner showed that he believed that the Volturi didn't stand a chance, but Edward knew otherwise.

Bella had been standing close behind him, watching all he did. And now, she approached him again.

"Will our lives always be like this?" she asked him, burying her head in his shoulder.

Surprised, Edward looked down.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Full of life-changing battles, cataclysmic events, the end of the vampire world, etcetera?"

"No, I certainly hope not. It wouldn't be a proper world for Nessie to grow up in."

"No, it wouldn't," Bella agreed.

After another moment of silence, Bella interrupted it again.

"What's our strategy?"

"We are all to fight, using all of our powers, except for Mark and Tanya."

"Why them?"

"They have to protect Sadie, in case any vampire gets through."

"Do you think any will get through?"

"I think it is unavoidable."

Bella shivered. It was unlike Edward to be this short with her, to not explain things further. It reminded her of the Edward of before she was a vampire, always worried about her.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Edward sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I would feel much better if you were to take Nessie and leave, go somewhere where the Volturi can't hurt you, where you'll be safe."

"You know I'll never leave you," Bella said, but began to worry about her daughter.

"Come on," she said, tugging on her husband's arm.

Together, they ran back to the house, where Nessie was safely asleep somewhere where Sadie couldn't see her. The Cullens had decided against letting them meet, thinking it would be too much for Sadie to handle.

Bella, smiling at her little girl, lifted her gently into the air.

Surprised, Nessie opened her large, chocolate-brown eyes and looked up into her mother's smiling face. Nessie's face also broke into a smile as she raised a hand and touched Bella's face.

Bella's mind was filled with her little daughter's thoughts. She was afraid, worried, but thought everything would turn out to be alright, just like last time.

Breaking away from the contact, Bella shook her head.

"No, Nessie, this time it's more serious. I'm going to need you and Jacob to go away for a while, at least until this is over."

Edward wasn't surprised at his wife's behavior. He had suspected she would act this way once more, as she had done before.

Not speaking, he quickly collected Nessie's few belongings and put them into a little backpack.

Bella picked Nessie up as she and Edward stepped outside.

Immediately, Jacob went up to them, in human form. He smiled at Nessie, who immediately reached out for him. He lifted her out of her mother's arms and twirled her.

"Hey, Nessie! How're you doing?" he said happily.

Nessie just giggled, and then Jacob caught a glimpse of her parents' worried faces.

"What's wrong," he asked them.

Edward gave him the backpack and the keys to his car.

"Go, Jacob," was all he said.

Jacob nodded, swung the bag over his shoulder, and began to walk away.

Nessie looked over her protector's shoulder and back at her parents, waving sadly, tears running down her cheeks.

Bella and Edward waved back at their daughter, their hearts heavy with grief, and turned to look at the dark forest. The sun was beginning to rise, and Edward knew that the Volturi force had arrived.

"It's time," he said, and led his wife into the house.

It was the time for war.

(A/N) Um, whoops? I've been busy, ok, and I'm sorry! Also, my computer came down with a virus, and I lost EVERYTHING! Finally, I'm starting to get hold of it again, but, for some strange reason, I don't have any sound. Oh, and I hope you like this chapter. It's kinda short, I know, but I felt it was needed. Yeah, and now you hate me, I know. I'll try to update as soon as I can, ok?

Catty - The disclaimer!

Oh, right.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


	28. Battlefield

Sadie shivered slightly in her large jacket, as she watched the vampires through the trees.

Both vampire families had been practicing as much as they possibly could for this moment, the moment when they would have to fight against the Volturi army.

Noticing that suddenly the group seemed a lot smaller, Sadie shivered once more. Any moment now, the other army would arrive in the icy clearing, and the battle would begin.

A sudden hand on her shoulder startled Sadie, and she jumped slightly as she turned and looked into her best friend's eyes. They were as dark as always, and smiling sadly down at her.

"It's time," Mark said.

Behind his back, the beautiful blond vampire approached. Sadie struggled slightly to remember her name, coming up with Tatiana, Tiana and Titania until she finally remembered it was Tanya.

Tanya, as if sensing Sadie's inner struggle grinned slightly as she picked Sadie up off the ground as if she weighed no more than a rag doll.

After one last wistful glance over to where the vampires were all getting ready, she set off, walking quickly away from the clearing.

--------------

Mark followed, transforming into a wolf mid-step. His job was to cover the scent and protect Sadie at all costs.

He too cast a wishful glance at the soon-to-be-battlefield as he left. He'd have loved to participate in the fight, but he knew that he was needed elsewhere.

He looked over at Tanya's retreating figure and saw Sadie in her arms. He could not imagine what she must be going through. A terrible would be fought, just over control of her. And, though she knew that it was probably not her fault, she'd probably be blaming herself anyways.

With a large sigh, Mark followed Tanya into the trees, trying not to look back.

--------------

Alice sighed herself as she tried to get a view of the impending battle. She knew it was futile, with the wolves so close, but she had to try.

As she made the slight effort to cast herself into the future, she saw her beloved Jasper's face look over at her, knowing her well enough to realize exactly what she was doing.

Alice looked into the future blackness of being near the Quileute tribe as her only love approached her.

Grasping her hands firmly in his, he looked deeply into Alice's eyes and waited until she returned to the present.

Once she had, he smiled at her.

"Nothing," she said to Jasper. "It's those stupid wolves, they won't let me see!"

Jasper said nothing, but just raised his hands still holding Alice's to his mouth, and he slowly began to kiss all her finger tips.

"It's all right," he murmured between kisses.

"No, it's not all right!" Alice answered, frustrated. "I feel blind!"

"You're not blind. You've been able to see them coming, haven't you?"

Alice nodded slightly, and sighed.

"I suppose I'm just worried."

"Don't."

Jasper and Alice looked deep into each other's eyes, and for a moment, could believe that everything would be all right, until they heard a slight growl come from Edward.

--------------

Edward had been practicing some last-minute moves with Bella when he'd felt the Volturi army approaching. They were a lot closer already, would probably be here in a few minutes.

He glanced up, and Bella stopped her pretend assault, instinctively knowing that their time was almost up.

Edward turned to one of the wolves, who just happened to be Leah, and made a slight signal at her.

The large wolf nodded its head, looking slightly silly for a moment, as it transferred the message.

Edward kept one eye on Leah, and the other on the trees from where the enemy would come soon.

There were many, but less than he'd expected. The Volturi must have underestimated them again, or they had not expected them to join with the Alaskan family. Whatever the reason, the army was a lot smaller than Edward had originally imagined.

Turning back to his wife, he grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as they waited for the terrible vampires to arrive.

--------------

Mark sniffed the ground wolfishly, his nose making a snuffling sound. Convinced that that part of the trail was well masked, he looked up and continued.

Suddenly, Leah sent him a message through their special contact, the one that connected the whole pack.

_It's time,_ she said simply.

Mark answered with a mental nod, and then he barked twice at the figure in front of him.

Hearing him, Tanya began to move a lot quicker, dashing through the trees at a supernatural pace.

Sadie gasped from the sudden movement and held on tighter than before.

Mark followed, still covering the trail.

They had decided to trick the Volturi with something that had almost completely worked before. They had allowed Sadie's scent to remain in the clearing, to draw the vampires there, but they couldn't risk it being too far away from the actual battle-site, as then the army might notice that she wasn't actually there.

Edward's signal was to tell them when the Volturi army would be close enough for Mark and Tanya to begin moving Sadie a lot quicker through the trees, trying to cover up her scent as much as possible.

As important as Sadie was, it was vital that she never fell into the hands of the Volturi, and it didn't matter if both vampire families and the wolf pack had to sacrifice themselves for it. This was bigger than that. Sadie's being taken by the Volturi would risk not only their lives, but the entire world's.

Mark covered Tanya's tracks as much as he could as he continued after her, glimpsing his friend in the vampire's arms.

He wished they could have met under less terrible circumstances. He wished he could have known her longer.

Mark shook his head, and his body, to clear himself of such musings, telling himself brusquely that it didn't matter. They would both survive this, they had to, if they wanted for the world to remain safe.

He ran after Tanya, trying to keep his head clear of morbid thoughts.

--------------

As he approached the clearing where the rebels so clearly wanted him to arrive, Demetri sniffed the air. The battle-site was almost reeking of the human girl's scent.

Grinning evilly, he immediately let his army go on without him, as he began to take a less obvious course towards the battle.

The rogues had something up their sleeve, a plan if you will, and Demetri was determined to figure it out.

With his amazing vision, he could not discern the frail human's figure among the vampires, so she must be hidden.

Demetri's grin widened as he thought of this. He sure loved to play hide-and-seek with his prey. Of course, that was obvious due to the fact that he always won. Even when he'd still been human, his seeking abilities had been amazing, which had eventually shown the Volturi that he would be a valuable asset to their team.

Sniffing the air, he decided to go around the clearing instead of towards it. It would be a bit of a surprise-attack.

As he went on his way, he caught a tiny whiff of human-scent. It was effectively masked by the musky, disgusting smell of wolf, but it was there.

With a slight chuckle, Demetri set off in search of his prey. He would find her, he was sure of it.

(A/N) Yes, I know I haven't updated in about two months, but I have good excuses...which you probably don't want to hear. Anyways, I decided to make my fanfictions my New Year's Resolutions. Oh, that reminds me, Happy 2010! Anyways, I have decided to update each of my fics at least once every month, hopefully more, but I'm trying to be realistic here. Anyways, review please!

And I do not own Twilight!


	29. Minds

Edward had been distracted by the sudden arrival of the Volturi army, but as son as he had a quiet moment of stillness, he focused on the one mind that he most hated, Demetri's.

The tracker's mind was definitely focused at the moment. However, it wasn't concentrated on what Edward had expected: battling either one of the members of the vampire families or a wolf… no. His mind was focused only on one thing… a scent, actually.

Edward's own nostrils flared as he was immersed into Demetri's cold mind…

--------------

Demetri was still tracking the barely noticeable human scent… the girl's… the WEAPON's. He was also using the glimpse he'd gotten of the girl's mind in the forest, where he'd faced her for a moment.

These stupid rogue clans believed that the disgusting smell of a wolf could stop him? Well, they were in for a surprise… Soon, they'd see that Demetri could track anything, no matter what they did… and he never gave up, not when he was on a mission, anyways.

Demetri inhaled deeply as he continued running. The delicious smell of human blood clouded his mind, and caused him to smack his lips appreciatively. Soon, he would taste her blood… and it would overrun his senses, and flow down his throat, assuaging the persistent burning sensation that lurked in there no matter what the hunter did.

Of course, he wasn't supposed to drink her dry. No. His masters hadn't allowed him that. However, he was allowed to infect her with the vampire venom. In other words, transform her.

Sure, Demetri and his masters knew that there was a possibility that the tracker would lose his mind as soon as he got that first taste of wet, crimson blood… yet, he was trusted enough to know that he probably wouldn't kill her. Demetri was more controlled that the average vampire, mostly because of his age and education.

A great part of his training had focused on the art of blending in… and act that couldn't be achieved if he went mad at the mere whiff of blood.

After so many years, Demetri had learned how to take only a bite, and not drain a victim. And that was a great feat in itself. Not many vampires were strong enough to manage it, but Demetri was.

That strength, along with his tracking and battle skills, made him virtually indestructible.

The wind slapped Demetri in the face, teasing. It told him that his prey was only a short distance away.

Finally, the tracker got the long coveted view of the small group that traveled before him. And there she was, the target, the eventual doom of all those who opposed the Volturi.

The girl was being carried by a blond vampire with a slightly desperate look on her face.

Behind them traveled one of those awful mutts, doing his best to mask the human smell with his own stench. It would have been a very effective plan, if it hadn't been Demetri who was tracking them.

Demetri's lips curled into a sneer as he prepared to launch his attack.

The sound of the human's heartbeat excited his senses.

_This is going to be fun_, he thought, as he leapt.

--------------

Edward snarled violently as he saw Sadie in Demetri's mind. Having listened to the tracker's mind for the past minute and a half, Edward knew that their carefully structured plan had been a complete bust.

Unfortunately, no one could read his own mind, which meant that he had no way of warning anybody about the impending danger.

For a moment, Edward wished he had his daughter's power, but was torn out of his and everybody else's thoughts as another vampire warrior attacked him.

Edward blocked his opponent's moves almost automatically, casting his mind far and wide to find a way out of his current dilemma.

With a savage wrench, he tore the other vampire's head clean off at the neck, and tossed it away. He had to incapacitate his opponent as fast as he could to go and save Sadie and her protectors.

The headless vampire groped out, reaching for Edward, its arms outstretched.

Edward grabbed his enemy's hands in both of his own, planted his foot firmly on the other's torso, and pulled harshly. With a sound of grating metal, seeming like it was echoing because of the same noises coming from the surrounding battle, both arms were torn from the body.

Tossing the severed limbs away, Edward made sure that nobody saw him as he headed into the woods, tracking the great tracker himself.

(A/N) Yeah, I know it's a really short chapter, but the ending just felt right, ya know? And, besides, I'm keeping my promise. An update a month. Anyways, hoped you liked this chapter, and that special insight into Demetri's mind. I know I enjoyed it, he's such a fun character to write down!

Catty: You forgot the stupid disclaimer again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, at all. I only own Sadie and Mark from this chapter... the rest all belong to Stephenie Meyer!


	30. Fight

Sadie had been sitting as still as she could in Tanya's arms as the blond vampire ran for both of their lives. The cold wind seemed to bite at her cheeks, and she resisted the urge to shiver. For some reason, she felt that any movement that she made would help propagate the smell even further, and they'd be found.

Sadie looked into Tanya's face. The blond vampire had a slight look of desperation on her visage, and her eyes gleamed with fear. The expression did nothing to assuage Sadie's feelings of terror, and only helped to magnify them.

Looking away, Sadie instead glanced over at Mark, who was right behind them, spreading his scent. Almost as if he sensed her, the great wolf looked up, and licked his chops before wagging his tail half-heartedly.

This small gesture was enough to keep Sadie from losing it completely as they raced through the freezing cold tundra, running from the incredibly loud and gory battle taking place behind them.

The battle was so loud that even Sadie could still hear the awful sounds of screaming and grating metal, as if a bunch of cars were being ripped apart. Sadie was reminded of all the movies she'd watched where there were crashes or falling buildings. It was that loud.

The wind blowing in her face prevented her from looking where they were going, and fear kept her huddled up in Tanya's arms. Sadie was terrified that a vampire might eventually smell them, and begin to follow.

However, before she could spend longer on that thought, she heard a sudden thump. A whine followed, and Sadie glanced back to see her best friend crumpled on the ground and a man running after her and Tanya.

--------------

Tanya heard the thump as the vampire behind her landed on the wolf. But, she couldn't stop and help him up. She knew that if she stopped now, the girl in her arms would be compromised, and then, their doom would follow, so she kept running, as fast as she possibly could, through the icy land.

Tanya wasn't prepared, though, for the vampire to catch up to her so quickly. He leapt at her, and she fell. Sadie flew out of her arms and landed with a groan on a nearby heap of snow.

Tanya turned around, and faced the vampire. She instantly recognized him as the tracker who'd instilled so much fear into the Cullens' frozen hearts. _Demetri…_

_--------------_

Sadie groaned as she landed on a small pile of snow. She definitely had not been expecting that, and could only be grateful that she'd landed on the snow and not on ice or on a tree. Rolling over, she felt a wet warmth on her forehead, and a strange liquid invaded her eyes. Sadie raised her hand and wiped whatever was clouding her vision away, and gasped as she saw blood coating her palm.

However, that gasp didn't compare to the scream she made a moment later, as she glimpsed Tanya and another vampire battling each other over the cold ice. Their feral snarls and tearing teeth were too much for Sadie, and she scrambled backwards, only to crash into a furry mass right behind her.

Horrified, Sadie glanced up. Relief flowed through her as she realized it was just Mark, in his wolf form, standing protectively over her. He glanced down at Sadie, and made some movements, indicating that she should get on his back.

Sadie stood up, using Mark's huge wolf head as her support. As soon as she was steady, he knelt in front of her. Sadie clambered onto his broad back, and held on as Mark began to run.

Tanya's screams gradually died as they got further away from the battle. It was obvious that she hadn't been victorious. Sadie shuddered, and held onto Mark's fur even tighter. At the speed they were moving, it would be bad if she were to fall off.

A crash sounded right beside them, and Mark came to a standstill, nose in the air, trying to find where the vampire would attack next. Sadie sat, frozen with fear and with cold. She knew that close by, the horrible vampire man lurked, trying to find a way to defeat them.

Without warning, a figure leapt in front of the motionless pair. His teeth were bared, and he growled gutturally. Sadie shuddered as she looked into the glaring red eyes.

She jumped slightly as a rumble under her startled her. Mark was growling so viciously that it frightened even her.

The vampire only grinned at Mark's attempt to scare him off, and leapt.

Once more, Sadie found herself flying through the air. This time, however, she didn't land as badly as she had last time. Mark had managed to drop her carefully before attacking the vampire.

Sadie could only stare at the gory battle before her.

Mark tried to get a grasp on the vampire's throat, as quickly as he could, so he would be able to disable the vampire. However, the vampire was too strong and smart, and wouldn't allow the wolf's teeth to meet in his skin. Instead, he used his fingernails to rake Mark's fur, leaving deep gashes in the canine's abdomen.

Mark howled and once more attacked the vampire, using his teeth to sever one of the creature's hands.

The vampire snarled and threw Mark off himself, with his superhuman strength.

Mark's body arced through the air and landed on ice, quite a distance away. The vampire, taking advantage of this, grabbed a nearby tree and threw it at the werewolf.

Mark, who'd been trying to get up, received a sharp blow to the spine, and with a deafening crack, collapsed under the massive trunk of the tree, whining piteously.

"No!" Sadie screamed as she saw her friend get mercilessly pummeled by the vampire. However, this only earned her a vicious glare from said creature, as he began to stalk slowly towards her, licking his amazingly red lips slowly, probably savoring what she would taste like.

Another crash startled her, and someone leapt on top of the vampire who'd just been feet away from Sadie. Help had finally arrived.

--------------

Edward's face was contorted into a terrible grimace as he battled the vampire who'd put his family in danger time and time again. Demetri had just no qualms against threatening Edward's true love and his daughter, he'd proved that often enough. Edward was just so sick and tired of the sadistic vampire. That moment, he swore he would end Demetri's pathetic existence once and for all.

(A/N) Yeah, I'm sorry this took so long, but things have been sort of hectic lately. On the other hand, Happy April Fools! And no, this was not a joke chapter, just in case anyone was wondering. This is completely serious. Anyways, enjoy, read and review! Reviews make me happy! And the happier I am the faster I update!


	31. Mark

Edward snarled as he attacked Demetri. This vampire had caused him so much fear for so long, but no longer. Edward had sworn to himself that he would end this today, once and for all. He would finally destroy the vampire he hated most in the world.

Pulling Demetri along, Edward rushed into the forest, as far away from Sadie as possible.

As soon as both vampires disappeared, Sadie quickly crawled to where Mark had fallen. She tried not to gasp as she saw him. His wolfish body was mostly covered by the enormous tree; his muzzle was spotted with blood, most likely his; his eyes were closed.

"Oh, Mark," Sadie whispered at the sight of her best friend.

Mark opened his eyes before closing them once more, and his breathing grew irregular as he tried to transform. He fought the urge to howl, but he couldn't hold back the whimpers as the pain of his injuries increased during the transformation.

Sadie bit her lip as she saw what Mark was trying to achieve. With every whimper, she winced, but she forced herself to keep watching.

Mark stopped his efforts, panting. His body was halfway between wolf and human form, grotesquely misshapen. The tree shifted slightly.

Seeing what was wrong, Sadie urged, "Come on, Mark. You can do it!"

Mark gritted his teeth and forced his unwilling body to cooperate and adopt its usual form. Finally, he lay there, fully human.

Sadie would have sighed in relief, but she saw how much worse her best friend's injuries looked now that he was in his true form. Her face twisted in worry as she carefully evaluated the wounds she could see.

Mark managed to open his eyes and he spied Sadie's expression. He forced out a weak chuckle. "Do I look that bad?" he asked.

Sadie, whose worry had only heightened when she heard her best friend laugh, answered him quietly, "No."

"Liar," Mark accused her gently, before coughing loudly. A drop of blood escaped his mouth and rolled down his cheek.

Sadie's eyes widened, and she touched the drop of crimson liquid, as if to reassure herself that it was really there. The blood stuck to her finger, and she hurriedly wiped it on her pants, so Mark wouldn't see it.

However, Mark's sensitive nostrils had already caught the scent of his own blood, and he knew what Sadie had wiped off her finger. He sighed.

"That's not good, is it?" he asked her.

A tear rolled down Sadie's face as she gazed at Mark's calm, but pained, face. She shook her head dismally.

Mark raised the only free arm he had and brushed the crystalline drop from Sadie's face. The gesture only made more tears appear, and soon, Sadie's face had a light covering of freezing water. It was a hopeless situation. Vampires were battling nearly; their plan had failed; Mark was injured.

Her face suddenly becoming determined, Sadie stood up. "Wait here," she told Mark, who smiled grimly. It wasn't like he was going anywhere.

Sadie went to a spot lower than Mark's body, and tried to lift the tree off him. She ignored the pounding in her head as she used all of her strength in a fruitless attempt to save her friend. The tree only shifted slightly, and Mark groaned at the movement.

"Sadie," he called, "it's not going to work."

Sadie paid no attention, and continued uselessly squandering her strength. Finally, she gave out, and she dropped the tree the few inches she'd managed to lift it. Mark yelped, and then coughed. Sadie began to sob.

Tears still running down her face, she crawled back to Mark.

Mark gazed at Sadie sadly, before telling her gently, "It's ok."

A sob caught in Sadie's throat as she looked at Mark's peaceful face. He didn't seem to mind the situation; he only wanted to keep her from crying.

Only sobbing harder, Sadie lay down on the snow, against Mark. He hugged her with his free arm, and let her tears run over his shoulder and what was exposed of his chest.

Neither of the pair felt the cold against their skin, especially not Mark, who couldn't feel anything below his chest. They lay there quietly for a few seemingly interminable minutes.

Finally, Mark sighed. "I never thought it would be like this," he stated.

Sadie looked up at Mark. "What?" she asked, curiously, despite the situation.

"When I died. I never thought it would be like this."

"Don't say that," Sadie hissed at him, as if Death would be attracted to Mark's morbid words.

"Why not? It's true," Mark insisted weakly.

"You're not going to die," Sadie told him, trying to convince them both of her positive words. "You'll be all right, just you wait."

"Really, Sadie?" Mark asked her, his eyes shining with tears despite his calm expression.

Sadie didn't answer, since she didn't trust her voice at the moment.

"I'm scared," Mark whispered, his voice so quiet it was a miracle that Sadie heard him. "Do you think there's something after this?" he asked worriedly.

Sadie had never been extremely devout, but she did believe in life after death. "I think there is," she answered quietly.

Mark was silent for a moment before asking his last question. "Will I ever see you again?"

Sadie knew that Mark didn't mean in this life, but in the next one. "Yes," she answered. "I promise."

"Ok," Mark sighed, and Sadie felt his body relax. She listened to his breathing steadily begin to decline and turn into gasps. His arm tightened around her as he struggled to get enough oxygen into his lungs.

Suddenly, the wheezing stopped. Mark stilled, and his still warm body began to cool.

Sadie didn't move, seeming dead herself, except for her unsteady breathing and the tears running unchecked down her face.

Mark was dead.

Sadie's world began to crash down around her, and she shut her eyes against the peaceful surroundings and into the turmoil within. Pain rose up in her throat, in her chest, in her heart. Mark, her guardian, her best friend, was dead.

A choked sob escaped Sadie's throat, and she hugged Mark's body fiercely to her. She felt as if she'd died inside.

Suddenly, she felt a cold hand wrap around her arm and pull her up brusquely. She was incapable of resisting the brute force that made her move against her will.

She found herself facing crimson eyes that gazed hungrily at her out of an evil face. Her mouth opened automatically to scream, but she'd barely drawn in breath when a snow-white hand clapped itself over her mouth. Sadie looked up at the enemy vampire fearfully. It was the one she'd seen fight Mark, it was the one that injured him. She glanced down at his arm to make sure, and saw that Mark's bite had done the job; the vampire had cleanly lost his hand.

"Don't scream if you know what's good for you," he hissed at her.

Sadie did know what was good for her, and this vampire definitely wasn't, but she didn't scream as the creature slowly lowered his hand from her mouth. Screaming wouldn't help her anyway, since he would probably just snap her neck as soon as she even thought about it. Her only chance of being saved would come if one of the Cullens or the pack were to find her.

Then, her already pained heart froze. Where was Edward? Last Sadie had seen he'd been battling this vampire.

Had he been defeated? Was he lying out there somewhere, dead, just like Mark?

Memory assailed Sadie, and she suddenly remembered Tanya's terrible screams as she died as well.

Sadie's breath grew more and more agitated as she began to go into a full-scale panic attack. The vampire looked at her, eyes narrowed, and then said to her, "Don't do anything funny, or your family will die."

At these words, Sadie stopped mid-gasp. They had her family?

Satisfied, the vampire grabbed Sadie still body with his one hand and threw it over his shoulder. Then, he took off into the forest.

Sadie's chest and stomach hurt from the diamond-hard shoulder digging into her, and she closed her eyes from the pain and horror.

Suddenly, the vampire cursed and ran faster, as if he'd heard someone following. He flew through the trees at lighting speed, fleeing from the yet unknown opponent.

Seeming to sense that he wouldn't get away, the vampire pulled Sadie down from his shoulder and into his arms, stopping at the same time.

Sadie's eyes opened in surprise, and she tried to gaze calmly at her kidnapper, although inside she was terrified of what he might do now.

The vampire said nothing, and only forced her head back, exposing her neck. He licked his lips and bent over Sadie, sniffing her before biting in, right into her carotid artery.

Sadie would have screamed from the pain, but the threat to her family was still very much on her mind, so all that escaped her lips was a strangled moan.

As her vision began to darken, the vampire jerked. Sadie was taken from his arms, her head lolling slightly as the puncture wounds on her throat began to scab over.

"You'll be all right," a voice murmured to her. Sadie sighed as she recognized the Cullen patriarch.

Carlisle took off running, Sadie in his arms. Behind him, he could hear snarls, growls, and loud snapping noises. Edward and Emmett would be done shortly.

(A/N) Heh heh. Sorry? Please, don't kill me. I'm sorry I took so long to update... I blame the SAT! Oh, and sorry about Mark. I cried while writing that. Mark's death was important, you'll see why soon enough. *runs away from angry readers*

Catty - Rissa don't own Twilight, trust me.


	32. Choice

Carlisle ran through the trees at lightning speed, holding the squirming bundle in his hands, as tight as he dared. He couldn't believe that the plan had gone so badly. After all the careful planning they'd done, in the time it had taken Demetri to bite Sadie, it was all ruined.

Ducking behind a tree, he lowered Sadie to the ground, where she lay twitching and moaning miserably. Blood ran out of her mouth, and Carlisle deduced that she'd bitten her tongue from the pain.

The sound of running feet was suddenly heard, and Carlisle jerked up quickly, only to see Edward heading his way.

The older vampire sighed in relief, and then turned his thoughts to where Emmett was.

Reading his father's mind, Edward answered, "He went to continue fighting." After a slight pause, he continued, a bit of amusement coloring his tone, "He said he didn't want to miss anything."

Carlisle nodded before kneeling next to Sadie and inspecting her closely. Edward followed suit.

"Has she been bitten?" Edward asked, a little fear seeping into his voice.

Carlisle only looked at Edward sadly as the answer appeared in his mind.

Edward cursed under his breath and his father's thoughts reached him. Everything had been in vain; what they'd been trying so hard to prevent, had happened anyway. The Volturi had won.

"Sadie," Carlisle began to call the girl's name.

Edward looked at the older vampire questioningly.

Carlisle sighed before explaining, "She has a choice to make."

"To be a vampire or…" Edward began.

"Or to die," Carlisle finished.

Edward raised his eyebrows in shock. He'd never imagined his father would feel that an innocent girl would have to die.

"He bit her in the carotid artery," Carlisle continued, not paying attention to his son's reaction. "If we draw the venom out, she won't survive."

Edward's expression transformed from shock into concern. Sadie had a terrible choice in front of her: eternal life or death.

-)-(-

Sadie thrashed around on the ground as she felt the wound on her throat begin to burn. She didn't scream, however, since she knew it was vital that she stay quiet. Instead, she bit her tongue until she tasted blood, and then dug her fingernails into her palms. However, the pain in her mouth or on her hands was nothing compared to the one that was steadily growing on her neck.

Suddenly, a voice made its way through all that Sadie was suffering.

"Sadie," it said. Then, it said something else that the unfortunate girl couldn't understand.

After a moment, the voice continued. "Listen to me," it said insistently. "I know it hurts, but you have to try."

Sadie gritted her teeth and nodded jerkily to show that she would try to listen.

"Sadie, you've been bitten," the voice explained. "If we let the poison run its course, you'll turn into a vampire. We can suck it out, but you'll die, Sadie."

Sadie froze as strong emotions filled her. She definitely didn't want to live forever, all alone; to see her whole future blur into a continuous line, never varying, never ending. It was a terrifying concept. Sadie opened her mouth to tell the voice that she'd rather die.

However, faces began to invade her memory.

Gasping, Sadie recognized the people in her mind. They were her parents and her sister. The Volturi had taken them, Demetri had said so. He could have been lying, but, what if he wasn't? It was all because of her, Sadie. If it hadn't been for her, her family wouldn't be in danger. It was all Sadie's fault.

Sadie owed it to her family to save them, but she wouldn't be able to if she was dead. She had to defeat the Volturi, and to do that, she had to be a vampire.

Sadie reopened her mouth and whispered three words. Those three words determined everything: her future, her life, all of it.

"Let me change."

The moment after she made her decision, a new face burst into Sadie's mind. It was Mark's face.

"_Will I ever see you again?" he was asking._

"_Yes," she'd answered, "I promise."_

Now, Sadie was breaking her promise to her best friend; betraying his dying wish. She was trading an oath for her family.

Sadie stiffened slightly, before promising Mark silently that she would make it up to him somehow. That they would someday meet again.

-)-(-

Carlisle nodded as Sadie asked to live as a vampire. He then reached into his pocket, while thinking at Edward to keep the girl still.

Edward instantly grabbed hold of Sadie's thrashing limbs. "Don't scream," he said to her, as Carlisle extracted a small vial and a syringe from his pants pocket.

Edward looked at Carlisle questioningly. His father's mind was strangely blank.

Carlisle, seeing the look on his son's face, only said shortly, "Morphine."

"To stop the pain?" Edward asked, and then blanched as the answer rose up in his father's string of thought.

"No," Carlisle affirmed what his son had found out. "To stop her from screaming."

Edward's mind was flooded with memories of when his beloved wife had gone through the transformation herself. She'd said that the chemicals had kept her from feeling the pain, yet it had been the complete opposite. During the transformation, his wife had felt the horrible burning feeling every vampire had felt, instead of the drug-induced haze. For a moment, Edward reeled as his mind grasped the fact that Bella had felt the pain he'd hoped to save her from.

Then, Sadie tried to wrench her arm out of his hand, and the vampire turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

Holding Sadie as still as he could without killing her, Edward watched as his father filled the syringe with the liquid from the vial, and then aimed it at Sadie's arm. Carlisle, after finding the best spot, inserted the needle into Sadie's skin and pressed on the plunger.

The effect was nearly instantaneous. In just a couple of seconds, Sadie stopped struggling as the morphine traveled into her system. Her eyes fluttered slightly before closing, and she breathed out a small sigh.

Seeing that the chemical had worked, Carlisle withdrew the needle and stood. Edward gathered up Sadie's now-still body, and stood up as well. With a look at his father, he took off at a run, getting farther away from the battle, to a place where Sadie could finish changing in peace.

(A/N) Hello you guys! I just thought I'd post this today, especially since it's such an important day. It's the anniversary of both of my stories! Yep, just one year ago I was uploading both these babies up, and sending 'em into the world. Sure, I haven't done very well with the updating department, but I'm hoping that'll change.

Oh, and I do not own Twilight, by the way.


	33. Transformation

Sadie was in unbearable pain. She knew that turning into a vampire was no easy thing to do, but she'd never expected it to hurt this badly.

For some reason or another, vampire venom felt like liquid fire, as it swam through the blood in her veins, transforming everything in its path.

Sadie had been thrashing around in pain, but suddenly, she felt a very cold body pressed against her, forcing her to remain still. Sadie knew this was probably Edward, but she couldn't stop herself from struggling against his supernaturally strong arms. Her futile struggles only managed to exhaust her further, and did nothing for the horrible pain that was making its way through her body.

Sadie gasped slightly as she felt a something prick her skin. She had no doubt that if she'd been completely awake and not lying in throes of agony, the slight injury would have been very painful; but now, compared to the fire inside her, that was nothing.

Sadie struggled to think about something other than what she was going through at the moment, since she knew that concentrating on something only made it worse. In order to do so, she tried to wonder exactly what the prick had been, but was overwhelmed by the pain once more.

However, she soon discovered what was going on, as her body began to stop responding her unwilling mental commands. Her movements began to grow slower and slower, and soon, Sadie was forced to remain still, not by a body outside her own, but from the chemical the needle had inserted inside her.

Sadie nearly gasped as she figured out that the Cullens had drugged her to stop her from screaming and moving. Even if it was technically for her own good, she still couldn't believe it.

In fact, she couldn't believe a lot of the stuff that was going on. Only until recently, she'd thought that werewolves and vampires were things from storybooks, a sort of nasty fairy tale. She'd never expected to be dragged into a world full of such creatures. She'd never thought she'd one day be playing a major role in a supernatural war either. But that was precisely what she was doing.

Sadie couldn't stop a single tear from rolling down her cheeks as she felt a wave of guilt come over her. She knew it technically wasn't her fault, but she knew that it was all because of her that this battle was happening. It was all her fault that Mark had died. Her best friend's death was on her, along with countless others.

In her hazy state, Sadie could feel something moving her, but she paid no attention as she concentrated on her thoughts.

Now that she was becoming a vampire, Sadie was able to actually see herself rescuing her family. Before, when she'd just been a human, going to a Royal vampire stronghold and demanding the freedom of her parents and sister was an impossible job. However, now, she should actually be able to, but at a terrible price.

When Sadie had heard that the Cullens were vampires, she'd pitied them for their endless lives; and now she found herself in the exact same situation. Sadie had a very straight-forward way of thinking. You were born, you lived, you died; and that was it. But now, all her previous thoughts were thrown out the window. She'd never grow up, go to college, get a job, have kids, grow old, and die. No. All of that had been taken away from her when that horrible vampire had dug his fangs into her delicate neck.

Sadie would never be able to forgive the vampire for that. In fact, she felt as if she'd never forgive the entire vampire race for taking her hopes and dreams from her. Even the Cullens were to blame.

Sadie tried to turn these thoughts away, since they wouldn't help her at all. She couldn't think of herself now. She could not act selfishly when her family was on the line.

But, first things first. Sadie would have to somehow end the battle happening not too far away before she took off to the place in Italy where the important vampires were.

Sadie hoped there would be some way she could stop the massacre nearby. She'd been told she possessed an incredible power, but she still barely knew how to use it. During the past few days, she'd been trained by one of the Alaskan vampires, but that had done nearly nothing. She'd barely felt what everyone called such a great power. In fact, she'd had to concentrate a great deal just to reach out for it.

When she'd finally gotten hold of it, though, what she'd felt had been incredible. But, it was such a small amount of what could have happened. Sadie had hoped she'd somehow be able to use her power instantly, like in X-Men and Spider-Man, two of her favorite movies. In them, the characters had been normal one day, and superhuman the next.

Sadie, however, felt terribly weak compared to her favorite characters. She just wasn't meant for the great things everyone seemed to think. She was just an ordinary human girl.

Well, she wouldn't be human for much longer. Soon, she'd be something that actually formed part of the world where superhuman things were possible every day. But she wouldn't be a hero. She'd be the creature that stalked the night, that killed people in their sleep, that lay hidden in wait for its next meal to come.

Sadie could barely stand thinking about those things as she felt her body morph under the influence of the venom. The fire was still flowing through her, but it seemed to have slowed slightly.

Now, instead of spreading, it felt as if the pain was sitting stagnant, no longer moving through her body, now that it had reached every corner. At least it wasn't hurting any worse, as it had the past hours… or was it days?

Sadie had lost complete track of time as she'd been lost in her thoughts and burned alive. Now, she suddenly felt that her body control was returning to her, and she gave into the urge that had been with her for so long.

Feeling that her mouth and vocal cords responded to her, Sadie screamed. With that scream, she not only released her pain, but the tension that was steadily building up inside of her.

As her breath ran out, Sadie made a choked sound before inhaling again, and then screamed once more.

However, this time, she was feeling a little less worse than before, so she was actually able to listen to her shrieks of pain. What should have sounded like any normal girl in a horror movie, now sounded strangely musical. As if a singer had taken the place of the main character being eaten alive, and was letting out a song instead of the usual screams.

The sound of this shocked Sadie into silence, but she wasn't able to hold out much longer before she continued. She just couldn't stop, now that she'd started.

Her limbs were now back under her control, and they thrashed around in pain as the fire flowed through them.

It was torture. Pure agony.

But, now, it seemed to be receding. Her toes were starting to feel warm instead of burning, and so were her little fingers.

The warm feeling started to creep up, as the fire fled towards her heart.

Sadie could suddenly hear it, louder and clearer than ever before. It was beating a frantic rhythm, as if trying to run away.

However, the poison enveloped it, and began to burn through it quickly.

Sadie's hands tore at her chest as the pain in her heart escalated, while the pain everywhere else began to vanish.

The rapid pace her heart had set rumbled in her ears, and Sadie felt as if it was the sound of an army marching to its death.

_Boom boom boom boom._

The venom burned and burned, and the beat began to slow.

_Boom boom… boom… … boom_

Suddenly, it stopped altogether. And so did the pain.

Quiet reigned, and Sadie realized that she'd stopped screaming.

Then, she opened her eyes.

(A/N) Did you like it? I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages. I've actually had this chapter for quite a while, but was unable to post it on account of my internet absolutely REFUSING to work. I just got it fixed, literally about 10 minutes ago. So, I'm thinking of you guys and putting this up. Enjoy! Read and Review please! (Oh, and because of feeling the need to post this up as soon as possible, I didn't read through it as much as I might have some other time, so there might be a couple mistakes. Sorry!)


	34. Change

A glistening view met her eyes as they opened. So many colors, textures, and different characteristics could be seen with Sadie's new vision. She blinked slowly, even if she didn't feel like she had to, and breathed in.

With that breath, Sadie panicked. The feeling of relief she used to get with every inhalation was gone, and Sadie sat up, clutching her chest, convinced that she was choking.

A white hand grabbed her own, and a quiet voice said into her ear, "Relax. Just ignore the feeling, you'll get used to it."

Sadie's new sight turned up to see Carlisle, the father of the Cullen family, looking at her. However, although he was still the same, he looked so different. Sadie could now see every angle of his face; the way the light hit his hair and highlighted locks of it, making the yellow even brighter. She could notice every little movement he made, every time his nostrils twitched as he breathed, the way his muscles moved beneath his skin. It was amazing.

Sadie closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked at Carlisle again, trying to get used to seeing such detail. As she looked at him again, she began to notice her surroundings.

They were in the middle of the forest, snow covering every part of it. Sadie looked down at her hands, which were so much paler than they had been before, but were still darker than the snow they were on. For a second, Sadie stared at them, unsure of why she felt something was wrong. Then, she figured it out: the snow was supposed to be freezing cold against her skin, and instead, she didn't feel the temperature of it at all.

Shocked, Sadie pulled her hand away quickly. Too quickly. Her hand vanished before she could even blink.

"Gah," Sadie exclaimed, pulling herself back. This was all too much to absorb.

"It's ok," Carlisle's quiet voice reassured her. Sadie, careful to be very slow this time, looked back at him. With her new sight she could see a sadness on his features, in his eyes. He looked so mournful.

At that moment, Sadie remembered what had happened before she'd been turned. "The battle," she breathed out in a very quiet tone.

Carlisle heard what she said, and nodded. "Yes, it's still going on."

A frown came over Sadie's features. "But, doesn't it take a long time for a person to become a…" she hesitated for a moment, afraid to say the words aloud, as if her stating her new state would make it true. "… vampire?"

"Yes it does, but, we're pretty evenly matched. No one's been able to get the upper hand in the fight," he answered.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Sadie exclaimed, and she became a blur as she stood up impossibly quickly. "We have to go help!" The knowledge of her family's abduction was still fresh on her mind, and made her want to race over to the clearing where the battle was taking place and destroy all the Volturi she found.

A restraining hand settled on her shoulder, and she noticed that Carlisle had stood as well. "You can't help. You're still too young, and you've never fought a vampire before."

Sadie stared incredulously at the man who'd watched over her ever since she'd been taken from her home. "But, the reason that they're there in the first place is me," she yelled hysterically. "I caused this war to happen, and now, I'm the only one who can stop it!"

Carlisle opened his mouth to answer, but before he could draw breath, Sadie continued. "Don't I have some sort of power that is supposed to destroy all the vampires? Isn't that why everyone wants me?"

Carlisle, unable to provide a response that would make the new vampire feel better, simply nodded.

"Then I have to go," Sadie said quietly, before listening to the sounds around her. Soon, her ears picked up screams and sounds of grating metal. Guessing that the battle lay that way, she prepared to run.

Sadie inhaled deeply, ignoring the unsatisfied feeling, and took a step forward, then another.

It felt as if she was flying, rather than running. Her feet barely touched the ground, as she raced forward, rushing through the forest at such an impossible speed yet still able to avoid every obstacle in her way. Starting to feel elated, Sadie dodged every tree, jumped over every boulder, and kept herself from tripping in the deep snow as she headed towards the battle lying just a few short miles away.

Behind her, she could hear Carlisle's footsteps, matching her own in speed, but she didn't turn back. Now that she'd realized that she could run almost instinctively, it was time to start working out her strategy.

There were over dozens of Volturi vampires at the clearing, not counting the Cullens, the Alaskan family, and the whole wolf pack. It was probably a chaotic scene, full of madness and gore.

An image of her beloved friend popped into Sadie's head, and she shook it forcefully, dislodging it and letting it get buried by the other things she had to think about. She couldn't afford to mourn Mark now, she'd have to do it later. And she'd get revenge for his death as well.

Turning her thoughts back to the battle at hand, Sadie began to plan what she would do once she arrived at the scene. First of all, she'd have to separate the Volturi from the others, in order to really manage what she was planning to do. Then, she'd have to wing it, and hope that her amazing power, although very new, would be enough to defeat the evil vampire clan.

(A/N) Ok, you guys... I have to apologize for taking so long in writing this chapter, but I've had a really tough time in my life, and summoning up just enough inspiration to do this was extremely difficult. And, I'm also sorry for uploading such a short chapter, but I promise I'll try to make the next one longer.

Oh, and I do not own Twilight, otherwise, this would be a book by now.


	35. Death

Edward was the first to sense Sadie's approach. He had been in the middle of a fight with a particularly fierce vampire when he heard the unmistakable sound of Sadie's most private thoughts. At the moment, they were tuned to the battle lying ahead of her, and quickly formulating a plan to get rid of those who had terrified her for so long.

Realizing that the whole situation was about to get even worse, Edward quickly dispatched his foe and turned to his wife, who was battling a vampire with the help of a few wolves. Bella had argued with Edward about having wolves watching her back, but in the end, her lack of experience had been an argument she couldn't counter. So, although she was in the middle of a vampire war, Edward felt a little better about her participation.

But now, everything was getting worse. Sadie had already been turned, and now she was coming here to get rid of those who had hunted her for so long. Edward knew that there were only a few possible outcomes of this, and none of them were any good. Either Sadie was able to use her powers and destroy a few vampires before ultimately being destroyed herself, or she fell into the hands of the Volturi and the rest of the vampire clans wouldn't stand a chance.

Heading over to Bella's side, he quickly whispered into her ear, trusting the wolves to keep them safe for the few seconds it would take to relay his message. "Sadie's coming. You have to shield us."

Bella nodded, her eyes wide and uncomprehending. Still, she did as she was asked, and she cast out her powers to all those who were fighting against the Volturi. It didn't take long. Ever since the confrontation a couple of years ago, she'd worked hard at tuning her own ability, preparing for when she'd have to use it again.

It was at that moment that Sadie burst into the space, her gleaming red eyes searching for those who had hurt her so much, whose fault it was that she was now a creature of the night, something she had not wanted to be.

She did not know what her plan was going to be, but, she only wanted to do one thing. Demetri, the vampire who'd bitten her, had mentioned how her family was being kept prisoner by the evil clan, and it was the only thing she was focusing on at the moment.

Without any hesitation, she closed her eyes. Instantly, everything was in better focus. Sadie was able to feel all the energy surrounding her: from the brown, sluggish energy of the hibernating plants in the ground, to the red-hot and fiery energy of the werewolves and the ice-blue vampiric strength.

She could also sense those who had special powers, able to wield them at will. She felt for the ones she would need, and, without any mercy, tore them away from their owners. Sadie did not care what she was doing, all she had to accomplish was to destroy this menace, and save her family. Everything else did not matter.

-)-(-

Edward turned suddenly as Bella suddenly gasped and bent over, looking as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He couldn't read her thoughts, but noticed that her position mirrored Kate's, a vampire with the ability to make electricity run over her skin. Also, several of the enemy vampires looked winded, dazed, and some even stumbled as they felt their energy draining out of them.

Edward cast his mind over to Sadie's, and he could feel the powerful aura that was around her. She was absorbing most of the energy from her surroundings, and from a couple of vampires, taking it all into herself.

For a moment, everything was still and silent. Then, Edward's mind was assaulted by the thoughts of someone new, someone whose voice was usually silent. His eyes widening, he turned to look at Bella, from whom he could hear the new voice. It was impossible!

Bella couldn't believe it herself, but she knew it to be true. She felt the shields around their army flicker slightly as the power was transferred, and then they were reinforced. Still, her power was gone, she could tell not only from what she was feeling but from the look on her husband's face. Sadie had betrayed her.

It was at that moment that Sadie, all the energy crackling around her, turned to look at Edward. The old vampire glared back at her, as if daring her to take the power that was his. Sadie's eyes were angry, but, deeper inside they looked calm… calmer than calm… they looked almost dead. Edward knew that this was a person that had lost everything, and was desperate to get it back.

He recoiled slightly as he felt part of his strength being pulled away, but, Sadie's ability had seemed to slow, most likely from all the energy that was already invading her body. So, instead of all of his power being taken from him with a single blow, it was steadily being drawn out of him, bit by bit.

Edward stared at Sadie, trying to communicate with his eyes what he couldn't with his lips. To just let his power alone, that he would help her in any way he could. For a moment, Sadie hesitated, already starting to feel the man's thoughts inside her skull. So, she let him go, and turned to the Volturi who stood before her.

Several of the enemies were still shocked by the sudden loss of energy, and some stumbled around, trying to get back their bearings.

Edward sensed Sadie's thoughts, and began calling out to his own army, gathering them around him as the two sides split evenly, leaving several torn up bodies behind.

Sadie took her eyes away from the mangled corpses and turned to the vampires who had ruined her life by recognizing the power inside of her. She could feel hate boiling in her veins, almost as powerful as the venom which had just transformed her. It was a terrible sensation, but something that she had to let out as soon as possible.

Her voice terribly cold, yet still managing to sound beautiful, asked, "Where is my family?"

She knew that the Volturi were not going to answer her, but she glanced at Edward, sending him mental instructions to find out where her loved ones were. Hoping that he was now working to help her, she asked once more, her melodic voice breaking off into a piercing shriek. "Where are they?"

A single vampire stepped out from the Volturi army. His perfectly shaped face and combed hair seemed at odds with the battlefield on which he stood. "We'll tell you if you come closer, my child," he said quietly, but his words carried far, reaching Sadie's ears as if he had been standing right next to her.

"You wouldn't tell me even if I did," Sadie growled, not noticing how terrible she was sounding. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glimpsed Edward nodding at her slightly, indicating that he was now in possession of her family's location.

Without any hesitation, Sadie closed her eyes and stretched out her arms, looking as if she was trying to calm herself down. Only Bella felt as the shields around them suddenly strengthened, actually becoming solid for a moment, before a huge explosion suddenly tore the forest apart.

(A/N) Yes, I know it's taken me ages to upload this, and I wish I had a good excuse, but I really don't. I'm really sorry about taking so long, but, I hit a difficult time, and, a big fat wall... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will try to write the next one as soon as I possibly can. Sorry to those few people reading this story! And, yes, I know that Sadie has gotten a little weird, but you have to understand that she just lost her best friend, her life, and probably her family. If I was in her position, I'd probably go crazy too. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight...


	36. Promise

The dead leaves crunched under her feet as she walked over the battlefield. What had earlier been a beautiful winter forest had become a land of the dead, after the explosion had taken place. The ground was grey and littered with the remains of the Volturi army. The air was choked with a sweet sickly smoke that rose from the vampire cadavers. The entire force had been demolished in one blow, which had been caused by a single girl.

The girl in question was standing, seemingly frozen, at the edge of the field, standing on the point where the forest began once more and the land thrived with winter life. She was staring out at the destruction she'd caused, her face holding an expression in which shock and horror mingled, along with a touch of sadness and desperation. She'd never meant to do all of this, but she had had no choice.

Bella sighed as she walked over to Sadie, carefully keeping her eyesight away from what she was stepping on. Her power and energy had just been restored to her, and she was now trying to reach what had been a young woman only a few days ago, too shy to speak up very often, and too scared about what was going on. She'd undergone such a serious change that she was barely recognizable except in the few features that remained in her face. Even her eyes, once brown, were now crimson, and filled with emotions that had never marred the expression before. It was a devastating and terrible change, and Bella felt a little frightened as she approached the newborn vampire, unsure of what she might do.

Sadie didn't move, although with her new senses it was obvious that she felt Bella get close to her. She couldn't move. She was still reliving all that had happened, and all that she'd done. She'd just single-handedly destroyed a huge vampire force, and she was expecting to feel something inside of her, either horror, dread, or triumph. However, she felt nothing. She felt empty. The moving shadow of what had once been a living girl. She was completely gone, and she couldn't find herself.

She felt Bella's hand against her shoulder, and she shuddered slightly as the woman slowly started crooning comforting words, trying to help her ravaged mind.

"It's ok, Sadie," Bella was saying, letting her motherly instincts kick in as the young girl finally began to react. "It's all right."

Sadie didn't say anything, but stood still as yet another vampire approached warily. Edward had watched his wife get close to the young girl, frightened at what the newborn might do, but, with frequent brushes against the girl's mind, had decided that she was not a threat at the moment.

Sadie just continued staring out, not moving any more as Edward reached his wife and put his arm possessively around her shoulders. She didn't react as Edward whispered something into Bella's ear, telling her that Sadie was currently still in shock. She didn't even hear the words as she continued looking out at the devastation.

The survivors of the Cullen force were wandering around, helping those that needed help. A couple of the Quileute tribe had reverted to their human forms, helping those still in wolf shape, most of them wounded. Several of them were dead, wolf and vampire alike, but they hadn't suffered the greatest damage.

A wolf howled plaintively, and Sadie finally looked up, hearing in those eerie chords the voice that she'd last heard before her transformation.

With a smooth movement, she turned and began walking into the forest, ignoring both Edward and Bella who trailed her. Using her new senses, it didn't take her long to find the place where Mark had fallen, and the tree that still held him captive under its immense trunk.

Due to the cold, his body had stayed in perfect conditions, making it appear as if he'd closed his eyes for the last time only minutes ago.

Even with her new vampire strength, Sadie suddenly felt a surge of weakness fill her, and she collapsed on her knees next to the body of her beloved friend, the boy she'd trusted above all, and the wolf who had died to protect her. Her white hand trembling, she lay her hand on his brow, feeling how cold he was, despite her new skin temperature, and her body began to shake. Her beautiful voice was torn in grief as she wept for her lost friend, no tears leaving her eyes due to her new form. She wailed and gasped, occasionally screaming as the pain in her very heart and soul filled her to the brim.

The vampire couple stood beside her, their eyes looking away from the terrible form that lay on the ground, as they hugged each other. They felt the newborn's pain, and longed to help her, but they both knew that they couldn't do that. Only Sadie would be able to come out of this, only by herself, and she would, in time.

They held each other as they waited, trying to block out the sounds of so much raw pain and grief. Their own hearts felt a like they were getting ripped apart with each new shriek that filled the air.

Finally, Sadie quieted. Her face seemed so much more peaceful than before, but her crimson eyes were still filled with all the pain she was going through. Carefully, she let her cold hand, which had remained on Mark's brow all this time, slide down to cover his eyes and then his mouth. She slithered her fingers all the way to his chest, as if looking for his heartbeat. With her other hand, she covered the place where her heart had used to live, pumping living blood into her body.

Leaning close to the dead man's ear, she whispered, so quietly that even with their vampire senses, the other had to strain to hear her voice. "I'll see you again soon," she said, sealing the promise she'd made to him earlier.

With a fluid movement, she then stood up, tearing her eyes away from her best friend. Slowly, she walked away, hearing the howls of grieving wolves as she made her way through the forest, heading south. She didn't turn as Bella and Edward followed her. She still had something to do, before she kept her promise. Her family was still in danger.

(A/N) This chapter was really easy to write for some reason, and I must say, it's one of my absolute favorites despite the sad contents. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well as the quick update. That wasn't such a long wait, was it? I'll try to make the next one as short as this one, but, while it's put up, how about you review this chapter? Pretty please with sugar on top?

Catty: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, Rissa just owns her own characters.


	37. Blood

The sky was dark as the figure walked up to the building. Each step the shadow took was so smooth it almost seemed like a dance step, but there was almost a fierceness to it, that made it both beautiful and terrifying to look at. Sadie wasn't conscious of her new walk, however, as she was instead focused on the dreary warehouse right in front of her.

The place was dilapidated, having not been owned for many years. It was grey-colored, and the roof was full of leaks that slowly dripped. Sadie couldn't actually see the water softly falling to the ground, but with her new and improved hearing, she could tell the leaks were there.

It was the dead of night, and the stars were obscured by the thick layer of clouds that had risen on the horizon. The air was moist and heavy, and extremely warm, after the rain.

Two more figures approached Sadie, and one lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Sadie," Edward, the taller of the two figures, said quietly, "it's time."

Bella set her own hand on her husband's arm as she heard the words that he pronounced. They'd traveled south for a short time to reach the exact location of where Sadie's family was located, which was in this dreary building, which looked as if no one had been inside it for years. It was the perfect spot to keep a couple of people prisoner, as nobody would come and look for them here, in such a decrepit place so outside the small town. The warehouse was literally in the middle of nowhere, which made it an ideal place, albeit a bit cliché, to hold hostages.

Sadie didn't respond to Edward's statement, which wasn't a surprise by this point. Ever since they'd left Mark's body, Sadie hadn't said a word. She'd simply moved gracefully and quietly on the path that Edward had pointed out. She hadn't even said anything as she'd found a traveler nearby and had been on top of him before the elder vampire couple could do anything about it. Bella and Edward were dismayed, but Sadie just looked up, her front caked in blood, and her eyes dead. There was no question that by now, nearly every bit of the young girl was completely gone.

This was very worrisome, especially because she held such incredible power inside her. Although she had destroyed the huge Volturi army, she was now steadily becoming more disconnected to reality, and, would probably become a devastating force if she lost it completely. It was something that Edward and Bella refused to think about at this time, especially since they wanted to help the poor girl so much. Ever since they'd met her, they'd feared that she would be affected negatively if she were to become a vampire. Now, they had a confirmation to their fears. If Sadie wasn't stopped, she would surely become a killing machine.

Sadie, however, was oblivious to these fears, as she turned to Edward. She didn't open her mouth to ask him whether her family was in there, but the question in her eyes and in her mind was more than enough. Edward nodded in answer, at which Sadie turned back to look at the warehouse.

"She wants to borrow your ability again," Edward said to his wife, who looked horrified.

"Again?" she asked, terrified that this time she wouldn't get her ability back, and also afraid that giving the young vampire such power again might trigger a devastating reaction.

Edward sighed. "It'll only be for a moment, I promise."

Bella looked over at her beloved, still worried about giving up her ability, but she trusted him completely. Thoughts didn't lie, and he didn't either anymore. Reluctantly, she nodded, and Sadie noticed it immediately with her new skills. Without even moving, she pulled Bella's power out of the thin and fragile-looking body and into her own. She inhaled deeply, before closing her eyes.

The vampire couple looked at each other worriedly as they waited for what they knew was about to take place.

The sound of explosions filled the night, and as they were heard, Sadie began to slowly stride into the warehouse. She seemed uncaring, and not preoccupied, so Edward and Bella followed behind her.

As they made their way through the dusty rooms, they noticed a few piles of burning ashes on the ground, and they shuddered, noticing the displays of the younger vampire's power. It was greater than they'd ever imagined.

As they walked, Bella felt her strength and ability return to her, and she allowed a small smile of relief to fill her face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of worry as the girl suddenly stopped, her head slightly cocked to the side, and listening intently. Seeing this, Bella strained her own amazing hearing, trying to find what the young one had heard. What she heard was three heartbeats, something that no longer held much appeal to her, but she knew it would be very different for Sadie. Afraid for what might happen, she looked over at the younger vampire, who did seem to be under the blood's call. She was shaking uncontrollably, and for a minute, Bella thought that she might have to restrain the girl, but at that moment, Sadie turned around, and fled.

Bella looked to Edward for an explanation, which he gave after a glance at the running girl's thoughts. "She's gone to feed, and she'll be back to free her family later. For now, we're just going to have to wait here."

Edward sat down on the ground, even though his legs no longer got tired. He placed his face between his hands and rubbed at it, feeling the horror of the past few hours suddenly fill him. Bella settled herself next to her husband, and leaned her head against his shaking shoulders. She concentrated on firmly rubbing his back, trying to comfort him, and whispering soothing words.

"It'll all be ok. Don't worry. It all will turn out ok."

(A/N) Yes, a very intense chapter. What do you think will happen to Sadie? I already know, haha! Anyway, I'll let you know, soon enough, once the last couple of chapters have been posted. I hope you enjoyed this one, and just remember, I only own Sadie and her family! I will try to put up the next one very very soon, and it might be the last, and it might not... I'm not sure yet, but I do know that there is not too much left of this story to tell, so enjoy this chapter, and please review!


	38. Cold

The chill didn't affect Sadie in any way other than her sensing that the temperature had dropped. Her new skin was so difficult to get used to. It was almost as if her limbs were extremely sensitive, but numb at the same time. She no longer felt pain or cold. Her new steel-hard skin wasn't affected by anything that happened to it, and remained pristine and beautiful.

Sadie looked at herself in the mirror, at her new beautiful features, at her perfectly shaped face, and at her crimson red eyes that glared through the dark. It was a strange thing, to have such gorgeous characteristics paired with such horrific ones. If her eyes had not been that terrifying color, she would have considered herself almost a goddess. As it was, she was reminded of her monstrosity every time she looked in the mirror by the red gleam in her eyes.

Luckily, her bestiality wasn't as noticeable as it had been earlier, as she'd changed out of the blood-spattered clothes and into clean ones. They didn't quite fit her new frame, but they were flattering nonetheless. Their hugeness almost swamped her body, yet it still managed to make her look small and cute.

Sadie dried her face with a paper towel, wondering if her family would recognize her now, changed as she was. She knew that she barely saw any parts of herself in her new face, but there was something: the fuller upper lip, the straight nose, the slight turn at the edges of her eyes… and yet, she was completely different.

Sadie set the moist paper next to the sink, before stepping outside. Her improved vision now allowed her to see in the dark, useful, but yet another painful reminder of her transformation. She moved through the night gracefully, not noticing the way her long steps flowed the one into the other, as she headed back to the warehouse where her family was. As she'd expected, Edward and Bella were standing outside, where she'd last left them.

As she approached, they gave her sad smiles, but didn't offer any consoling words. They had nothing to say for her situation, and she had nothing to say to them. Sadie barely gave them a nod before stepping into the large building. She passed through the rooms, heading towards the loud heartbeats that were beating in her ears, telling of three people in the vicinity.

She stopped at a door, obviously locked, behind which the three heartbeats were located. Her hand reached out, almost of its own accord. After a slight hesitation, the cold fingers wrapped around the doorknob, effectively snapping it and unlocking the room. She froze, listening for sounds inside the space, but only one of the heartbeats quickened slightly. Only one of her family members had heard her forcing the door open.

The hinges barely creaked as the door slowly swung open, miraculously silent in the decrepit building. Sadie took a deep breath before stepping inside the room, not daring to take a breath of the blood-scented air, for fear of what she might do.

Three shapes were in the room, lying on the floor. Two of them were breathing calmly and regularly, obviously fast asleep. The other, the smaller one, was curled up on itself, whimpering slightly in fear as she saw the dark shape approaching her.

Sadie couldn't help it. As soon as she saw the girl in the room, her breath whooshed out of her, forming a single word: "Sarah".

The young girl cringed slightly, hearing her name spoken in a strange voice, but there was something in the intonation that was familiar to her. Hardly daring to believe, the girl stood up, all fear gone from her face as she peered into the darkness, struggling to see someone she'd thought lost forever. "Sadie?"

Sadie couldn't move. The quiet sound of her own name had effectively frozen her already cold body. Her name had managed to paralyze a potent and indestructible body as effectively as iron bands could have immobilized her.

The human girl approached Sadie tentatively, almost as if she was afraid that she was seeing only a vision. Sadie ducked her head down in shame, not allowing her younger sister to view her crimson-colored eyes, or the way that her skin looked rock-solid, or how her features had melded to form a beautiful copy of herself.

Sarah was not deterred by the subtle move, however, and she kept walking towards the shade she assumed to be her older, vanished, sister. Each step she made sounded loudly in Sadie's ears, although the ground was blanketed by a noise-smothering dust.

Finally, Sarah was standing right before Sadie. The vampire did not dare to look up, although she vaguely noticed that her sister had grown more, and was now taller than she was. It seemed sort of ridiculous now, since Sarah would obviously keep growing, while Sadie would be trapped in her teenage body forever. _Forever…_

Sarah was surprised by the sounds of weeping that suddenly came from the shadow, and she gently patted its back, trying to look into the face of the girl whom she loved the most. As soon as her hand touched her sister's back, however, she couldn't help but gasp quietly. It was so cold.

Hearing the gasp, Sadie stepped back, still sobbing, as she called out, "Stay away, don't come any closer."

Sarah couldn't believe what was going on. Was her sister dead? Was it a ghost that had returned to visit her tonight?

Sadie kept retreating, and Sarah couldn't do anything but follow. She left the room with her sleeping parents, and stepped outside. Soon, they were standing in the bleak desert. Sarah gaped as she saw where she was. She had suspected that they'd been taken far away from home, but not that far.

She then turned back to Sadie, who had her back to her. She was still shaking with sobs, and Sarah couldn't help but feel sorry for her older sister. It was obvious that a lot had happened to her, and she couldn't help but wonder what she'd suffered to get to this moment.

"Sadie, talk to me," she begged, acting as if not a day had gone by since she'd last seen her sister.

Sadie froze once more, hearing the words fall from Sarah's mouth. She couldn't tell her the truth, and yet, it was her sister. She deserved to know what had happened, especially because of what would happen even later that night. She had to know.

Slowly, Sadie turned around, keeping her face to the ground, shielding herself with her brown hair that shone in the moonlight. She could hear her sister's breaths accelerate, excited to finally see her face after so long. Sadie sighed, knowing that the sight would be unpleasant. Carefully, almost theatrically, she raised one cold hand to draw the hair away from her face before finally lifting her head. The little light that was in the darkness instantly reflected off her blood-red irises, and the cold and beauty of her face seemed emphasized.

Sarah couldn't help it. She bit back a cry of surprise and fear as she saw her transformed sister. What sort of mask could so carefully beautify her sister's features, and at the same time make her look so terrifying? She took a step backwards, unconsciously trying to protect herself from the predator she noticed in front of her.

Sadie, noticing the action, sadly lowered her hair back into place once more. "So now you know," she said mournfully, her musical voice sounding so pure and crystal-like it could almost cause someone to cry.

"What happened?" Sarah breathed out, trying to forget the terrifying gleam she'd seen in her sister's new eyes.

"I was bitten," the perfect voice cracked in pain as she spoke about what had happened to her. "I was turned into _this_." The disgust marred the beautiful sound, morphing it into something that brought chills to Sarah's skin. That did not sound like her sister at all, and yet it was. It was Sadie, and yet, like her older sister had said, she'd been turned into something different.

Unable to stop herself, Sarah gasped out, "Turned into what?"

Sadie suddenly tossed her hair out of her face, the care she'd taken to keep herself veiled gone in her grief of having lost her true self. "Into a vampire!" she shrieked, before collapsing to the ground and crying out in dry sobs. Even her weeping was transformed, as tears no longer left her eyes. She was truly destroyed.

Sarah only hesitated a second before kneeling next to her sister and enveloping her in an embrace. She resisted the urge to shudder as her skin felt the marble-like coolness of Sadie's new body. She tried not to think about how her sister now had to sustain herself. All she knew was that Sadie needed comfort, and it was Sarah's duty to give it to her.

"I don't want to be like this," Sadie's choked sobs were saying. "I never asked for this." Her tortured voice spoke on until she felt the grief of losing herself finally rise to such a peak that no words could leave her mouth.

Sarah said nothing, but kept rocking her sister back and forth in her arms. From what she knew about vampires, there was no way to reverse the state, and so her sister was doomed to an eternity of wandering the earth, taking blood from creatures to keep herself alive. It was a future too terrible to think about.

(A/N) Here, as promised, the next chapter! I do apologize that it took me so long to post this, but I was really crazy busy with college life. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and I know that I said this would be the last chapter, but, it's not, as you might have noticed already. There's going to be one more chapter left, and that's it. This time I'm almost 100% sure, so unless Catty somehow forces me to write yet another chapter and leave you hanging for a while longer, this will be the last one.

Anyway, please read and review, and remember that I do not own Twilight. In this chapter, I only own Sadie, Sarah, and their parents.


	39. End

Sadie's dry sobs began to subside, and Sarah's rocking slowed down. "What are we going to tell Mom and Dad?" Sarah quietly asked. Hearing the question, Sadie stilled. Even her breath stopped coming, which worried Sarah for a moment before she remembered that her sister wasn't human anymore.

"They aren't going to find out," Sadie's new voice said haltingly. "It's better that they think I'm dead than this. They wouldn't believe it anyway, and, after having been gone for so long, it would make a lot of sense if I was no longer alive."

Now it was Sarah's turn to weep, and tears began running down her face as she realized in how much pain her sister truly was. Was it really that bad, being a vampire? Sarah knew her sister well, and right now, she had the terrible feeling that Sadie was going to do something drastic. "Don't, please," she begged, tears threatening to take over as she begged her sister to stay with her.

Sadie carefully hugged her sister, trying not to crush her with her new strength. Even with her caution, Sarah's breath's hitched slightly in pain as she was squeezed a little bit too hard. That only served to confirm Sadie's belief. She couldn't stay with her family, she was too dangerous. "I have to, Sarah. You understand, right?"

Sarah didn't understand, didn't want to understand, but she knew what her sister had to do. Living in that way was too difficult, and too torturous for Sadie, so, she was going to do the only thing she could. She nodded, trying to contain her sobs, but was unable to. Sadie leaned down and gently brushed away the tears from her sister's cheeks with her pale cold fingers, and Sarah kept from shuddering as the strange touch comforted her.

Then, her face set, Sadie's voice sounded again. "You'll watch over Mom and Dad, right? And will you be careful?" Sarah gave another nod, and Sadie's face softened. "I know you will miss me, but just remember that this was my choice. I want to do this, and it's not your fault." In one fluid movement, she knelt next to Sarah once more, and she whispered into her ear, "Promise me that although you will not forget me, you will move on and live life as it was meant to be lived. Promise me you'll try to be happy, and that you'll enjoy every minute that you have. Trust me, Sarah, life is meant to be loved, and just because of what happened to me you can't stop living. I have stopped living, Sarah, and that's why I have to do this."

Sarah's crying intensified, and she threw her arms around her sister's frame. "I'll miss you!" she sobbed, her tears moistening Sadie's shirt. "I don't want you to do this."

"But you understand that I have to, right?" Sadie asked, waiting for her sister's acceptance. It came in the form of a nod, and she brushed the hair out of Sarah's face. "I love you, Sarah, but I will see you again, ok?"

Sarah nodded once more, and Sadie stood up. "Some people will help you to get home. They should be here soon, just go back inside and wait for them." Then, without a pause, Sadie walked away. She could hear her sister's loud weeping, and her parents' heartbeats as she walked away from the warehouse, and back to where Edward and Bella were standing. They had listened to the whole thing, and both of them were saddened.

"Take my family back home, will you?" Sadie said to them, sounding so commanding that it was obvious it wasn't a question. "And I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you," this time, she sounded more like the scared little girl she had been not too long ago.

Bella smiled sadly at the new vampire, and she put her hand on the cold shoulder. "Don't worry, it wasn't any trouble."

Sadie exhaled loudly, knowing that Bella was lying, but she was grateful for the attempt to comfort her. "I won't come back, and my family should be safe with me out of the picture, but will you watch over them anyway?"

"Of course we will," Edward said, knowing exactly what Sadie had in mind. He had no doubt that after her actions, her family would be safe forever from vampire threats, but he would keep an eye on them anyway. It was the least he could do for what Sadie planned on doing.

Sadie nodded brusquely, before setting off into the night, not glancing behind her for fear that she might change her mind. She couldn't do so. She had a promise to keep, to Mark and to herself. She had something very important to do.

"Where is she going?" Bella asked, almost fearful to know the answer.

"Volterra," was Edward's quick reply. "She's going to make sure that we're safe for the rest of our existence, from the Volturi and from her."

Bella's golden eyes widened as she heard what Sadie meant to do. "You mean, she's going to…?"

Edward turned to look at his wife, gently taking her face in his hands. "Yes, she is going to sacrifice herself, but not only for us. You want to know what she's truly doing?"

Bella didn't make a movement or a sound, too afraid to know the answer, but her husband answered the question in her eyes anyway. "She promised Mark before he died that she would see him again, so she's going to look for him."

Bella gasped slightly, as the memory of Edward trying to find her through death when he'd thought her killed returned. She had been so terrified, and had managed to stop him, but he had been so calm, so prepared to end his existence. It was that feeling that Sadie had right now, but, unlike Edward, there was nobody to stop her.

Edward let go of his wife's face before turning to look at the warehouse, where the heartbeats had quickened as Sarah had woken up her parents and explained that they were safe, and that people would be arriving to take them back home. The vampire wondered how the young girl would tell them that Sadie was dead, and how she would keep them from knowing the truth.

"It's time," he then said, and began to head towards the warehouse. Bella followed behind him, still shocked by what the young girl meant to do. Sadie was making sure they could live a long and wonderful existence. They would owe her the rest of their lives.

-)-(-

The flames blazed brightly as they consumed everything in their path. It had been a while since the last screams of the dying vampires had faded, and as the last of the Volturi clan was burned to ashes by the relentless fire and explosions set by a single girl. She'd been considered to be an extremely powerful vampire, and the Volturi had tried to get her to join forces with them, using her family as an incentive to make her join them. Unfortunately, that plan had blown up in their face, quite literally, and now all their lives were ended.

A single shape still strode through the burning building, gazing at her handiwork. It seemed that her job was nearly done; there was only one last thing left to do.

The smoke hadn't made her voice sound any rougher as she opened her mouth and said only a few words. "I'm coming Mark," she stated, her face looking nearly hopeful as she opened her arms, as if trying to hug the burning building.

She closed her eyes as she reached for the power of all the energy around her. It was amazing. Every time she searched for it, it came easier to her grasp. She smiled slightly, almost sad that she wouldn't be able to develop her power any further.

The energy from the fire was almost too much as she took it into herself, molding it into what she wanted it to be. This had to be done quickly and precisely, otherwise it might not work. Carefully, she took in more and more energy, until her pale body was almost gleaming from the amount of power she held. Then, quickly, she released it all.

An explosion shook the city of Volterra, and the terrified citizens rushed for cover, not knowing what was going on. Their minds were only focused on escaping and living, not knowing that someone had just done the very opposite.

In the fires of the city, a body was being consumed. The red piercing eyes were still open, and a smile still graced the blackened lips. Sadie was not going to come back from this. The flames promised that she would be utterly reduced to ashes in only a few minutes. A sickly sweet scent rose up in the form of a pale smoke, joining the already polluted air. It seemed to take the shape of a reaching hand, before vanishing entirely.

One more explosion rocked the city, and an ocean away, a young woman opened her eyes.

"It's done," she said shortly, telling her family of what she had just seen. "Sadie is gone."

Carlisle nodded, keeping his face calm even as Esme began to cry next to him. His voice rose up in a quiet prayer. He knew that Sadie would be able to keep her promise, and meet up with Mark. Her promise was kept, and in the keeping of her promise, she had protected the Cullens forever. She wasn't just a weapon, but a blessing to the family. They would never forget her.

(A/N) Aaaand, that's it! I hope you guys all enjoyed this ride, I know I did. Please review one more time, since this is the last chance you get to do it. Thanks for reading my story, and I hope to see you as soon when I post others!

Catty: Do not forget that Rissa does not own Twilight. She only owned this story line and her made up characters.

Good bye!


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